Photo: Sam Santilli
#9 Frostburg State def. #8 Davis & Elkins, 70-64
WHEELING, W.Va. – Ninth-ranked Frostburg State made nearly 64 percent of its shots in the fourth quarter and rallied past eighth-seeded Davis & Elkins, 70-64, on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the Mountain East Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by The Health Plan.
“It feels good to get Frostburg State University’s first MEC Tournament win in school history,” said first-year Bobcat head coach Jenna Eckleberry. “We came out on fire in the first half and played nearly a perfect 15 minutes, but late in the first half had some lapses on defense.
“Then, we gave up 25 points in the third quarter. But, in the fourth quarter, we got down on defense and made stops. The players did not want their season to come to an end today and they stepped up and made plays."
With Davis & Elkins leading 56-49 with 8:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, Frostburg State went on a 12-0 run over a five-minute stretch to take over momentum in the game with a 61-56 lead at the 2:47 mark. Emilee Weakley, the 2023 MEC Freshman of the Year, scored six points during the stretch while Rhiana Hall, Arianna Briggs-Hall and Shelby Funchess added buckets for the Bobcats.
Jackie Wright dropped in a layup and Ellie Wilkerson added a jump shot to bring the Senators back within a single point (61-60) with 2:11 remaining, but a layup by Briggs-Hall and a jumper by Weakley pushed the Bobcat lead back to six with 44 seconds remaining.
From that point, the Bobcats buried 4-of-4 free throw attempts to answer a pair of D&E baskets and Frostburg State advanced to Thursday’s 6 p.m. semifinal with a 70-64 first round win.
With today's victory, Frostburg State advances to Thursday's semifinal round against top-seeded Glenville State. Tip is set for 6 p.m. at WesBanco Arena.
Weakley led all scorers with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Bobcats. Briggs-Hall added 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Funchess and Hall also reached double-figures for Frostburg State with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
For the game, Frostburg State shot 42 percent from the floor, including a 7-of-11 (63.6%) performance in the fourth quarter. The Bobcats scored 22 points off turnovers and had 38 points in the paint during the victory.
Davis & Elkins had four double-figure scorers in the game, led by Ellie Wilkerson with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Taylor Smith added 12 points and three steals. Wright and Jaela Reid also reached double-figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
The Senators shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor on the afternoon. Davis & Elkins shot 62.5 percent from the floor in the third quarter and rallied from a six-point deficit at the 8:50 mark of the third quarter to a five-point lead with 3:50 remaining in the third. D&E would hold on to the lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 52-49 advantage.
"We’ve talked about highs and lows all season, but I’m proud of how the team came together this season,” said Davis & Elkins first-year head coach Donna Carr.
D&E scored 12 points on the fast-break and also dropped in 15 points off of nine offensive boards.
Although Frostburg State led for over 28 minutes, the game featured three lead changes and five ties.
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