WHEELING, W. Va. – The Frostburg State women's basketball team continued its Mountain East Conference Tournament run with an upset victory over two seed West Virginia Wesleyan, earning a 77-71 win on Thursday afternoon.
FSU earned a spot in the quarterfinal with a 78-68 decision in the first round over Point Park, while WVWC earned the second-best mark in the conference at 18-6 overall and 15-5 in MEC play.
The early minutes of the game were back-and-forth, as Wesleyan began things with a three while Frostburg's first points would come after a steal by sophomore Mandy Roman and junior Jenna Muha scoring inside. Muha would then find redshirt freshman Sophie Nichols for three before Roman converted a pair at the line for a 9-5 advantage after four minutes. WVWC responded with five unanswered, as Nichols scored six of FSU's next eight points in addition to sophomore Laekyn Flinn driving the lane, though Wesleyan matched each step of the way in taking a 19-17 lead at the end of the frame.
A quick 8-0 run to start the second would put WVWC up by 10, as Nichols settled Frostburg down with an offensive putback followed by senior Caitlyn Sullivan coming up with a defensive board then knocking down a pair of foul shots. Wesleyan tried to extend their lead back out with a pair of baskets, but sophomore Ayla Hileman got to the stripe and Nichols hit from deep with just under four to play in the quarter to stay within 31-26. WVWC hit back with a shot from behind the arc while Muha combined to go 3-of-4 from the line in the final two minutes, though Wesleyan would have the final make of the half to go into the break up 36-29.
Coming into the third period, WVWC opened things with a mid-range jumper but Roman fed both Muha and Hileman for lay-ins to bring the deficit down to five. During a two-minute stretch, the sides could hardly miss a shot, going a combined 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-4 from the foul line, as Nichols drove the lane before providing for Muha to again stay within touching distance at 45-40. As Wesleyan still tried to push their advantage further, Hileman passed to Muha to finish before being found by Roman from range in keeping the lead at just four. The FSU defense locked in for the final three minutes, allowing just two field goals while the offense kicked into high gear. Sophomore Julie Spinelli drove inside while Roman hit Nichols on a run-out for an and-one, then Frostburg would take its first lead of the third quarter at 52-51 with 1:37 left on the clock on a pair of Spinelli freebies. With time running down, Roman and Nichols each split a trip to the line either side of a WVWC score, as the former would find Muha for a last-second bank shot, sending Frostburg to the fourth leading 56-53.
Continuing the momentum off their best stretch of the game, Spinelli would hit an early three and then grabbed an offensive board then led to Hileman driving inside to take a stunning 61-53 advantage. Wesleyan wouldn't let Frostburg run away with it, however, scoring six in a row to trim the deficit down to two. With energy and momentum still in good supply, Spinelli and Nichols would keep FSU out in front with back-to-back treys, however WVWC came right back with a pair of lay-ins including an old-fashioned three-point play for a 67-67 tie with just under five to play.
Each team traded a layup, turnover, and missed shot on their next three possessions, putting the ball in Frostburg's hands with two minutes on the clock. Spinelli went to her left hand in trying to regain the lead and had her shot bounce of the rim, but Muha was there to gather the ball and evenutally find Spinelli for the go-ahead bucket. Coming back down the floor, Wesleyan looked to feed big-to-big down low, but Spinelli got in the passing lane to break it up, as Hileman fed a great bounce pass to Muha, who turned and laid it in for a four-point lead. As the game entered the final minute, another WVWC turnover was gathered by Nichols, then as Spinelli saw a three hit off the side of the rim, Muha pulled down an important offensive rebound. Now forced to try and foul at the end of the game, Wesleyan put both Spinelli and Hileman at the line either side of a layup, as the pair would knock down their foul shots to hold off the chance of a comeback and securing the 77-71 upset.
Nichols would lead the way with a career-high 25 points, shooting 10-of-18 from the floor and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Muha and Spinelli both added 17 apiece as the trio combined for 20 rebounds on the day. Despite not attempting a shot from the floor, Roman made her impact felt in full, providing a game-high six assists while tying her career-best with four steals defensively.
With the win Frostburg moves to 16-14 overall, while WVWC concludes their year at 18-7. FSU will now face off against three seed Charleston (WV) in the semi-finals on Saturday, March 7 with tip-off at 2:30 PM. For more information please visit frostburgsports.com.
