WEST LIBERTY, W. Va.- The Frostburg State women's basketball team went on the road Wednesday evening, traveling to take on West Liberty and falling 86-62 in a hard-fought road match.
From the tip, the Hilltoppers wasted no time in getting the scoring started, with Bailee Smith knocking down a quick three-point shot. The Bobcats got their scoring started shortly after, when senior Shelby Funchess converted on a three-point play after being fouled on a jumper. FSU had to weather early sharpshooting from WLU, as the Hilltoppers made three early threes, but junior Maggie Sharp and senior Morgan Dombroski showed off their own range, both knocking down long three-point shots in the first quarter. Both teams would keep things close, as the last two and a half minutes of the first quarter would go by scoreless, with a final first quarter score of 17-16 in favor of West Liberty.
In the second quarter, West Liberty once again struck first, opening the scoring just twenty-two seconds in with a jump shot from Arriana Manzay, followed by a pair of layups to jump out to a 23-16 lead. Sophomore Rhiana Hall stopped the run by knocking down a pair of free throws, but FSU wouldn't make their first basket until the 5:30 mark, when sophomore Samiya Esema came alive and scored eight straight points, bringing Frostburg within three at 29-26. West Liberty with six straight points to go back up by nine, as they closed out the first half with a 10-3 run to go into halftime up 39-29.
The Bobcats got to work quickly in the third quarter, with Funchess knocking down an early jump shot, but WLU responded with another three. Frostburg struggled early from the field, with juniors Arianna Briggs-Hall and Ciara Thomas making the only other baskets in the first five minutes. The Hilltoppers would begin pull away from FSU, going on an 8-0 run to bring the score to 55-36. Sharp would answer by knocking down her second three-point shot of the night, then following with a layup the next possession down the court. West Liberty's offense was too much to handle, however, as they closed out the third quarter with a leading score of 66-47.
The final quarter of action opened with West Liberty's Molly Bauer knocking down three jump shots to keep the Hilltopper offense rolling. Thomas would start the Bobcat offense with back-to-back layups, then Esema and Briggs-Hall each hit a jumper. Freshman Sa'Niyah Council made an impact late in the game, knocking down two quick jump shots within 30 seconds of each other, but the night would end favoring the Hilltoppers with a final score of 86-62.
Esema led the scoring and rebounding effort for the Bobcats, scoring 18 and grabbing nine boards, while also adding a pair of steals and blocks. Sharp would also score in double digits by dropping in 10 points, while Thomas dished out a team-high three assists and swiped three steals.
With the loss, Frostburg falls to 5-19 on the year, while the Hilltoppers improve to 16-8. FSU returns to action on Saturday, February 19 as they return home to host Wheeling for a 2 PM tip-off at Bobcat Arena. For information and updates, stay tuned at frostburgsports.com.
