FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team is set for their first-ever appearance at the MEC tournament, where they will face Davis & Elkins in the first round from WesBanco Arena.
 
How They Got Here
The Bobcats enter the game as the No. 9 seed in the conference, sporting an 8-20 overall record with an MEC record of 6-16. FSU began the year 2-2 before losing six in a row, then began to right the ship in December and early January, winning two out of four games. A late-season three-game win streak over Alderson Broaddus, Notre Dame (Ohio), and West Liberty helped clinch the team's spot in the tournament.
 
D&E finished just ahead in the standings at eighth place, with an overall record of 7-19 and a 7-15 mark in the MEC. The Senators did not pick up a win until their fifth game of the season, which came against Frostburg, beginning the year 1-8. They picked up a pair of wins in their last games of 2022, then secured back-to-back victories to end the season and secure their seven seed.
 
The Matchup
Davis & Elkins swept the regular season series, winning 88-75 at home on November 22, then completing the sweep 71-65 in Bobcat Arena. The 88 points scored in Elkins were the team's second-most in a game this year. In the all-time series, FSU still holds a 4-3 advantage, though the Senators have won each of the past three matchups.
 
The Players
Frostburg boasts one of the top players not just in the MEC, but in all of Division II, as freshman forward Emilee Weakley leads the country in scoring at 25.5 points per game, while also averaging a double-double at 10.4 rebounds per game. Earlier this week she was named the conference's Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-MEC First Team. Joining her in double figure scoring is senior guard Maggie Sharp at 11.2 points per game, known for her outside scoring, as her 64 three-point makes lead the team and is the eighth-most in the MEC. Senior forward Arianna Briggs-Hall provides more size on the interior, averaging 9.4 points and 8.0 rebounds, while also supplying offense as the team's leader in assists with 52 on the year.
 
D&E is led by Second Team All-MEC selection Taylor Smith, who averages 16.2 points per game and is second in the conference in three-point shooting percentage at 42.7%. Her 67 triples on the year place her seventh in the MEC, while she also leads her team in assists (72) and is second in steals (51). Just behind her in the scoring category, Ellie Wilkerson sits at 14.3 points per game, while also leading the team in rebounding at 6.7 per contest. She is also a defensive force, leading the team in steals (53) and being second in blocks (15).
 
The Rest of the Field
The early game of Wednesday will be played between seven-seed Concord and ten-seed Notre Dame (Ohio) at 12 p.m. The quarterfinal round will be player on Thursday, where one-seed Glenville State awaits the winner between FSU and D&E, while second-seeded West Virginia State will play the winner between CU and NDC. The matchups that have already been set will feature No. 3 Charleston (WV) against No. 6 Wheeling and No. 4 Fairmont State versus No. 5 West Liberty.
 
2023 MEC Women's Basketball Tournament
 
Wednesday, March 1 – First Round
#7 Concord vs #10 Notre Dame (Ohio) – 12 p.m.
#8 Davis & Elkins vs #9 Frostburg State – 2:30 p.m.
 
Thursday, March 2 – Quarterfinals
#2 West Virginia State vs #7/10 Winner – 12 p.m.
#3 Charleston vs #6 Wheeling – 2:30 p.m.
#1 Glenville State vs #8/9 Winner – 6 p.m.
#4 Fairmont State vs #5 West Liberty – 8:30 p.m.
 
All games played at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, WV