BUCKHANNON —
Ugly.
That pretty much sums up the performance of Fairmont State’s Lady Falcons here Saturday afternoon at the Rockefeller Center.
Struggling West Virginia Wesleyan took the game to FSU from the opening tip and never let up en route to an impressive 82-62 romp over the league’s second-place team.
The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Wesleyan and improved the Lady Bobcats to 7-10 overall and to 6-8 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
FSU, on the other hand, fell to 13-7 overall and to 11-4 in league play.
The loss was the second-most lopsided setback of the season for Fairmont’s women who dropped an 82-57 decision to California (Pa.) University way back on Nov. 13. The Lady Falcons’ other five losses have all come by three points or less.
“I thought that I did an awful job of preparing our team for this game,” said Steve McDonald, who was looking for his 250th career win as the Lady Falcons’ coach Saturday. “I also did a very poor job of coaching our team in this game and I promise I won’t let it happen again.
“Wesleyan, though, played very well.”
Less than four minutes into the contest Wesleyan had built a 10-point lead and for all intents and purposes the rout was on. The Lady Bobcats extended their lead to as many as 19 in the first half at 33-14 and 35-16 with five minutes remaining thanks to red-hot shooting from the field. Wesleyan connected on 15 of its first 23 field goal attempts (65.2 percent) to help build its lead. FSU, on the other hand, hit just 6 of its first 21 shots (28.5 percent).
The Lady Falcons, though, clawed their way back into contention in the final five minutes of the half by forcing seven Lady Bobcat turnovers which helped the visitors cut the lead to just 10 at 38-28 at the break.
In the second half, Fairmont cut into Wesleyan’s lead even further. Led by Briana Welch and Emily Lohr, FSU made it a 50-45 game with 11:02 to play. The Lady Bobcats, however, reeled off nine unanswered points over the course of the next three minutes and the contest was never really close again.
“We really didn’t play well as a team,” said Welch, who along with Tiffany Nicholson led FSU with 14 points. “Some of us may have looked at this one coming in like we’re ranked two in the league and they’re at the bottom of the standings and we played at their level for pretty much the entire game.
“In the second half we cut it to five with a lot of time left, but we couldn’t hold them down.”
Fairmont turned the ball over nine times in the second half, shot a dismal 35.4 percent from the field in the loss (23-of-65), including a horrid 1-of-15 performance (6.7 percent) from 3-point range.
FSU got 13 points, six rebounds and four steals from point guard Kaitlin Snyder, but once again she struggled shooting the ball finishing just 4-of-19 from the floor, including just 1-of-9 from 3-point range. Hailey Garrett added 11 points and 11 rebounds. It was her ninth double-double performance of the year.
About the only thing Wesleyan did wrong Saturday was turn the basketball over 23 times, which helped to keep the game a bit closer than it should have been. The Lady Bobcats shot 51.8 percent from the field (29-of-56), including a 6-of-11 showing from long range (54.5 percent). Wesleyan also held a commanding 49-31 advantage on the glass against FSU.
Fairmont had no answer for Lady Bobcat center Atavia Blake inside. The 6-foot sophomore scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Wesleyan also got 16 points from Kerry Conroy, 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds from Brittany Maxey and 14 points from Allie Browne.
FSU will attempt to regroup Monday when its hosts Wheeling Jesuit in a 5:30 p.m. game at the Joe Retton Arena.
“We don’t have any time to dwell on this loss,” said Welch. “We’ve got to learn from it and get ready to play Monday.”
Fairmont State Sports
Lady Bobcats blow out FSU, 82-62
- Fairmont State Sports
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FSU, MVB team up for successful tournament
The Falcons and MVB paired to complete th 21st annual MVB-Fairmont State Athletic Association Golf Tournament at the Bridgeport Country Club on Friday.
Fairmont State’s mission during the event was to sell out, so thar FSU could raise as much money as possible for the athletic department. -
Cobb named Atlantic Player of the Year
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Three Falcons earn All-WVIAC honors
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FSU sweeps major WVIAC softball honors
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Caridi challenges FSU to ‘be brave’
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Falcons fall short in tourney championship
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Falcons, State to clash for softball title
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COLUMN: Davis, Monroe set to lead FSU
As early impressions go, Garrett Davis could not have made more of a favorable one in the eyes of Jason Woodman.
Woodman, Fairmont State’s first-year head football coach and a Marion County native, certainly knew about the senior middle linebacker before he even took the gig last December. -
Falcon ‘D’ shines in 40-18 win: PHOTOS
As spring games go, Fairmont State University’s annual Maroon-White contest Thursday evening at Duvall-Rosier Field ran pretty much to form.
Using a modified scoring system that awarded points to the defense for turnovers and stops, the Falcons’ Maroon (defensive unit) came up with three turnovers and a number of stops to roll to a 40-18 victory over the White (offensive unit) in front of more than 500 fans eager to get their first glimpse of the new-look Falcons. -
N.C. point guard signs with Falcons
Fairmont State might have its point guard of the future.
Second-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun announced his first signing for the 2013-14 season on Thursday, as the program welcomed North Carolina standout Caleb Davis into the Falcon family. - More Fairmont State Sports Headlines
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