FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team took their final contest of the 2024 year with a 74-64 home victory over the Concord Mountain Lions on Wednesday evening.
Concord got on the board first with a bucket down low, before senior Emilee Weakley put Frostburg with a score on a layup in the paint. Two free throws from Weakley saw the Bobcats in front, before CU quickly responded on the other end for a tie game. A tip-in from freshman Julie Spinelli, followed by a three from deep, gave FSU their real first advantage of the game, as a layup from sophomore Jenna Muha put FSU on top 11-6. Senior Taylor Smith increased the Bobcat's lead, before two free throws from graduate Sarah Shamdeen saw the game at 16-9. Shamdeen kept Frostburg rolling early with a three of her own for a 10-point margin. The Mountain Lions struggled to make shots against FSU's defense, as Weakley ended the quarter with two more scores to move the game to 23-12 after the first.
Weakley continued the momentum for FSU to start the second, putting in the first basket of the quarter. Sophomore Grace Middleton came off the bench and added even more energy to Frostburg's spark, picking up a steal on the defensive end and taking the ball down court, earning a foul. Middleton sunk both free throws to give the Bobcats a 15-point lead. CU was finally able to get one to fall almost three minutes into the quarter, sparking a 7-0 run for the Mountain Lions to bring the score to 28-19. Senior Jasmine Johnson traded points with Concord down low, as CU fought to get within seven with 4:43 left in the half. Weakley converted a three-point play to go back up by 10, but a trey from Concord on the other end sat the game right back at a seven-point differential. Spinelli saw two buckets low in the paint for back-to-back scores, as her and Weakley worked to get the game back to a double digit lead. Freshman Ayla Hileman came in and sunk a deep three to get the crowd going to end the half, keeping FSU on top 43-31. The Mountain Lions put in two free throws to end their scoring, as Weakley laid in the final basket of the half for a 45-33 Frostburg advantage at the break.
Weakley swapped layups with Concord to begin the third, as the Mountain Lions surged to cut the game to six. Smith laid in a back-to-back buckets to end FSU's scoring drought, putting the Bobcats back up by 10. Middleton worked to keep Frostburg on top by 10, as CU saw a slow few minutes on the offensive end. Weakley saw four straight points before the Mountain Lions were able to connect on a mid-range jumper. Concord made it a 10-point game once again, but scores from Spinelli and Smith pushed Frostburg out in front 61-47 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Both teams exchanged turnovers trying to get their offense going in the fourth, before a steal from Middleton led to an easy layup for Spinelli in transition. Over the span of five minutes, Concord sparked for an 11-0 run, keeping FSU quiet on offense to bring the game to 63-58 just under the midway mark. Weakley converted another and-one to get the Bobcats on track, with Smith following with a layup for another 10-point game. CU knocked down two free throws for a 68-60 score, but Johnson grabbed a huge offensive rebound and put in the tip-in for a double digit score game with two minutes left to play. The Mountain Lions put one out of two free throws in on their next trip to the line, as Johnson secured a big steal on CU's next trip down the court to seal the game. In attempt to get the ball back, Concord was forced to foul Hileman and Weakley, both who connected on a pair of free throws to put the game at a 74-64 final in favor of Frostburg.
Weakley led all scorers with 28 points, shooting 10-for-24 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line, while also collecting 10 rebounds for a double-double. Spinelli filled the stat sheet with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Smith saw 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. Johnson grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, while Middleton found herself with a team-high four steals.
With the win, Frostburg improves to 7-3 on the season, while Concord drops to 4-7. The Bobcats are next on the road for a matchup with Glenville State at 2 PM on Sunday, December 15. For more information and updates, please visit frostburgsports.com.
