FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Basketball team fell 87-76 against West Virginia Wesleyan at home on Wednesday evening. 

WVWC earned the first points of the game with an early layup by Kilah Dandridge, as FSU struggled offensively, starting an 11-0 run for the visitors over the first four and a half minutes. Freshman Zaria Gaskins got the scoring started for Frostburg with a pair of free throws, then junior Jenna Muha followed with a jump shot to lower the deficit to seven. After a three by Wesleyan put them up double digits, a pair from the line by sophomore Julie Spinelli and two lay-ins from classmate Laekyn Flinn brought Frostburg back to within six with less than three minutes remaining. WVWC tried to pull away again from deep, however Spinelli netted a layup in the paint and Muha got her first trey of the season to go with an and-one, bringing FSU to within three. In their final offensive possession, Wesleyan was able to find a bucket, while Flinn wasn't able to convert on a pair of chances, making the score 23-18 heading into the second quarter.

The start of the second brought Frostburg within one as Spinelli netted a triple and Flinn muscled for a layup on a feed from freshman Ella Sabatos. West Virginia Wesleyan responded swiftly, hitting a three followed by a turnover and a layup to go up six. They also kept their defense strong, holding FSU scoreless until there were just under four minutes remaining, while increasing their lead to 14 with a 37-23 score. A three from sophomore Ayla Hileman broke Frostburg's scoring drought, while Gaskins followed with a jumper and Sabatos had a tip-in score, but WVWC kept responding to maintain a 12-point advantage. With less than a minute left in the half, Gaskins found senior Caitlyn Sullivan for a jump shot, as Sabatos ended things with a tip-in, however a pair of Wesleyan threes kept them ahead 48-34 at the break. 

FSU looked to start the third period quickly, as Muha and Spinelli got the scoring started with a couple quick buckets, however West Virginia Wesleyan responded with two jumpers to stay up by 14. Sullivan then found Muha in the paint for a lay-in, then Hileman sank a three after being found by redshirt sophomore Mandy Roman and Gaskins put back her own miss, decreasing the deficit to seven in a score of 52-45. Out of a WVWC timeout, the visitors quickly netted a layup and a deep make, settling back in to a 12-point lead. FSU found some momentum nearing the end of the quarter as Roman found Muha twice in the paint before driving the lane herself, pulling back to within eight. After WVWC increased their lead back to double figures from a pair of freebies and a jumper, Muha and Sullivan went 4-of-4 at the line to keep Frostburg within 55-65.

For the first three minutes of the fourth, both teams went back and forth in scoring, as Hileman netted a jumper and Muha had a tip-in as a trio of Wesleyan buckets kept them ahead 71-59. Two minutes went by without either team scoring before Muha was found by Sullivan to make a layup, then some quick-fire offense from each side brought a Spinelli lay-in and a redshirt freshman Sophie Nichols corner three, but again WVWC found an answer offensively each time, leading by 11 with three minutes to go. Back-to-back Wesleyan buckets effectively sealed the reult with an 81-66 advantage with 90 seconds to go, however FSU still had some fight in them. As the time ticked past one minute, Flinn and Nichols made back-to-back threes as Spinelli netted a layup and Roman a tip-in, bringing the deficit back to single digits, however West Virginia Wesleyan netted a pair of freebies to seal the 87-76 win.

Muha led FSU with a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds, as Spinelli (13) reached double-digit figures and Roman recorded a game-high five assists. 

With the loss, Frostburg falls to 9-8 on the year, while WVWC improves to 9-4. Frostburg is back at home to face Fairmont State on Saturday, January 24, with a tip-off time to be confirmed soon. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com.