CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The Frostburg State women's basketball team lost on the road to Charleston (WV) 74-70 Saturday.
Both teams struggled offensively through the first three minutes, as the Golden Eagles hit from deep before freshman Zaria Gaskins answered to get FSU on the board. Frostburg wouldn't score again until the final minute of the frame, a seven-minute drought that allowed UC to build up a 12-3 advantage. Sophomore Julie Spinelli would finally get thigns going, driving in for a layup and hitting a last-second jumper, however another Charleston three would keep them up 15-7 headed to the second.
The Bobcats came out firing right away to begin the next quarter, as Spinelli nailed a triple and that was followed by another from sophomore Ayla Hileman to suddenly pull within two. UC hit back with one of their own, as the next three minutes became a back-and-forth affair. Spinelli scored five in a row through another lay-in and deep make, while Hileman added her second trey to make things 23-21 with six minutes to go. Redshirt sophomore Mandy Roman would knock down a pair of foul shots to tie the game before redshirt freshman Sophie Nichols gave FSU their first lead at 26-23 from behind the arc. The Golden Eagles were able to stop the run through a steal-and-score followed by another three, later splitting a trip to the line followed by a jumper, while the Frostburg was limited to one freebie by freshman Ella Sabatos, trailing 31-27 at the break.
Charleston opened up the third by making another from distance, as it took over two minutes for Frostburg to get going on a Hileman three. The Williamsburg native took over FSU's offense, scoring six in a row in trying to retake the lead, bringing the Bobcats within 40-36. After a UC three, Gaskins hit a mid-range jumper following junior Jenna Muha's block, then a basket from Spinelli and a pair of Hileman triples allowed Frostburg to hold a 46-43 lead. A late flurry from the Golden Eagles would see them immediately respond, ending the period on a 10-2 run to take a 53-48 advantage into the fourth.
There would be a flurry of scoring to start the final frame, as Spinelli converted an and-one while Sabatos, Hileman, and Nichols all added buckets leading up to a 59-59 tie. Hileman netted five in a row through a trey and jumper, with UC knocking down back-to-back baskets of their own to stay within 64-63. Nichols got to the line on a pair of possessions, knocking down all four, while a lay-in and three by Charleston led to a 68-68 tie with 90 seconds to go. The hosts would draw first blood, hitting a step-back three while Sabatos split a trip to the stripe. Spinelli and the Golden Eagles combined to go two-for-four on their next free chances, however that would be the final Bobcat point, as another pair from the hosts gave them the 74-70 victory.
Hileman led the Bobcats with a career-high 28 points, going 11-of-12 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from behind the arc, becoming the first player in program history to attempt at least six three-pointers without a miss. Spinelli added 22 points while Gaskins filled in the stat sheet with five points, three boards, four assists, and a pair of steals.
With the loss Frostburg is now 10-12 on the season whlie Charleston improves to 14-8. FSU return home on Wednesday, February 11 when they host West Liberty at 5:30 PM for the team's annual Pink Game. For more information, please visit frostburgsports.com.
