FROSTBURG, Md. - The Frostburg State women's basketball team picked up a win at home over the Alderson Broaddus Battlers 81-72 on Wednesday evening.
The Battlers hit the court running, taking a 8-0 lead in the opening minutes, with the Bobcats' shots not falling early. Briggs-Hall would get FSU on the board, hitting the front end of a pair of foul shots, then the team went on a nine-point run to take the lead at 12-10 after a step back three from senior Maggie Sharp. In the last minute of the first, freshman Emilee Weakley would hit a three off an assist by senior Ciara Thomas, then Thomas would make a layup to put the score at the end of one 21-16 Bobcats.
Weakley would continue her solid play, scoring the first nine points for the Bobcats in the second, as Frostburg got out to a 31-21 advantage. Junior Rhiana Hall would get in the mix with a floating jumper, followed by another Weakley bucket to increase the lead to 14. AB would close the gap back to nine before another three from Sharp took the game to 38-26. Hall worked her way into the lane for a smooth floater in the last seconds of the half, as FSU took a 41-29 lead to the locker room.
The Bobcats came out of the half with another make from Hall in the paint, then Weakley knocked down a three from a nice find by junior MacKenzie Freeze to make the game 46-33. FSU got a big spark from their graduate center, Shelby Funchess, who scored a pair of tough buckets in the lane. The Battlers hit a three next time down the court that was matched by Sharp at the other end, as each side went back-and-forth. Funchess, Weakley, and senior Arianna Briggs-Hall all make the most of Frostburg's next three offensive possessions, but AB made a late push to finish the third and get the FSU lead to just eight at 61-53.
Beginning fourth, Freeze would hit a great step back jumper to get the Bobcats on the board, but again Alderson Broaddus tightened the game up with a little over eight minutes to go. Briggs-Hall laid in a basket on a Hall assist, then consecutive made baskets from Weakley and Briggs-Hall would stretch the lead out to 72-59. Again, AB refused to lie down, pulling the game within five at 77-72 in the final minute. Freeze found Weakley for a much-needed score, then put the game on ice herself by knocking down three free throws to finish the contest off with a 81-72 win.
Weakley poured in 31 points to lead all scorers, where she was joined in double figures by Briggs-Hall (13), Hall (12), and Sharp (11). Weakley and Briggs-Hall both added 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively, to finish the night with double-doubles, with Briggs-Hall also blocking a pair of shots.
With the win, Frostburg improves to 6-17 on the year, while the Battlers fall to 5-17. FSU returns to the court on Saturday, February 11 for a road contest against Notre Dame (Ohio) set to begin at 2 p.m.
