WEST LIBERTY, W. Va. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team lost on the road to West Liberty on Wednesday evening by a final score of 84-77.
 
FSU's defense came out quick to start, forcing a pair of steals on WLU's first two possessions, the first resulting in a coast-to-coast layup from freshman Alanna Tate. Sophomore Emilee Weakley got her night going with a tough make in the lane, then converted two free throws followed by a pull-up jumper from graduate Maggie Sharp that put the Bobcats ahead 8-3. After West Liberty got to the charity stripe for two, Weakley nailed a three on a feed from senior MacKenzie Freeze for a six-point lead and her 1,000^th career point, becoming the fastest player to reach the mark in program history. WLU quickly hit back, making a trey, free throws, and a layup to pull ahead 12-11. Each side traded buckets, with Weakley regaining a one-point lead on a make before back-to-back Hilltopper scores put them up three. In the final minute, graduate Ciara Thomas earned a trip to the line, with both going in for an 18-17 West Liberty lead.
 
Freshman Grace Middleton drew a shooting foul to begin the second frame, putting Frostburg ahead by one before Corinne Thomas responded with a triple to put the hosts back up two. Another WLU three from Bailee Smith threatened to put the Bobcats in a hole, but lay-ins from Tate and Middleton, combined with a Weakley free throw, got FSU back within 25-24. Neither side seemed to miss over the next three minutes, with West Liberty regularly getting to the cup and Weakley scoring six in a row, followed by a put-back from junior Jasmine Johnson to put Frostburg ahead 34-31 with two minutes left. Yet another Hilltopper make from deep tied the score, then a layup with 45 seconds left in the half put them ahead 36-34 at the break.
 
Weakley led all scorers with 16 points from the first 20 minutes, while Johnson pulled in 11 boards, already setting a new career-high.
 
Tate and freshman Jenna Muha converted three scores within the first minute of the third, though West Liberty was able to keep pace with a three and a free throw for a 40-40 tie. Weakley scored the next six for the Bobcats, as WLU continued to have answers, with a Thomas trey putting them ahead 50-46 in the final five minutes. Freeze and Tate got lay-ins to go, with the former also knocking down a jumper for a one-point lead. After a Hilltopper and-one, Weakley and Johnson each got buckets to go, pushing to a 59-56 Bobcat lead in the final minute. With six seconds left, Thomas got to the line, converting both to cut the deficit to one headed to the fourth.
 
Seven seconds in, Muha got an easy bucket on an assist from Thomas, then Weakley answered a West Liberty make to maintain a three-point advantage. After a scoreless period, WLU made a layup-, then Middleton grabbed a rebound and took it the length of the court, followed by Thomas scoring in the paint for a four-point Bobcat lead. Two minutes went by before the next FSU field goal, with the Hilltoppers scoring five unanswered, then hitting a three to repel makes from Weakley and Middleton, resulting in a 71-71 score. The sides exchanged trips to the line, with West Liberty getting four chances to Frostburg's two, then Thomas hit a dagger trey to give the hosts a 78-73 lead with two minutes to go. Weakley kept it a one-possession game with a layup, but Thomas hit right back to maintain the five-point advantage. FSU wasn't able to get the ball in the basket late on, while the Hilltoppers continued to make their trips to the foul line count, pushing the score to 81-75. Middleton hit a layup to give the Bobcats some late hope, but that would be their last score, as WLU came away 84-77 victors.
 
Weakley led all scorers with 33, while Middleton added 10 and a pair of steals. Johnson and Muha combined for 24 rebounds, both reaching double figures, as Tate dished out a team-high four assists.
 
With the loss, Frostburg falls to 7-6 on the year, while West Liberty improves to 6-7. FSU returns to Bobcat Arena on Saturday, January 13 to face Wheeling at 2 p.m. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.