Concord Overwhelms 19th-Ranked Fairmont State, 84-66

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University women's basketball team used a late first-quarter run to grab the lead and never looked back as it upset nationally-ranked Fairmont State 84-66 in a Mountain East Conference matchup at the Carter Center Wednesday evening.
 
Following an 11-6 run to end the first 10 minutes of action, CU (10-8, 7-5 MEC) led 13-10. A 7-2 run to start the second quarter gave Concord a 20-12 edge. During the run, freshman guard Ana Young swished a three-pointer, her seventh made three-point basket in the last four games.
 
The Mountain Lions preserved its advantage late into the second quarter when the Fighting Falcons (15-3, 9-3 MEC) got within two, 27-25, with 1:14 remaining until halftime. Senior guard Jaisah Smith converted a three-point play with 17 seconds to go to secure a five-point lead at the break, 30-25.
 
The third quarter is where the Mountain Lions took over offensively. With its lead still at five points, CU scored 10 straight points near the end of the third quarter to build a double-digit lead.
 
Sophomore forward Abbie Smith scored four straight points to start the run, including a traditional three-point play. Graduate forward Nakaila Gray found the net on a dime from senior guard Maddie Ratcliff to take a 48-37 lead with 2:16 remaining. J. Smith knocked down a pair of free throws and netted a layup in the paint to complete the spurt and gain a 15-point lead, 52-37, at the two-minute mark of the third quarter.
 
Then, junior guard/forward Deja Atkinson got the fourth quarter started with a three-point shot as Concord led 59-45 with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter. Atkinson nailed three three-point baskets in the contest, a new career-high. The Maroon and Gray outscored Fairmont State 30-21 in the fourth quarter, leading by at least double digits the whole 10 minutes. Concord outscored FSU in all four quarters to cap off an 84-66 victory.
 
CU held FSU to 34.7 percent (25-of-72) from the floor and 24 percent (6-for-25) from three-point range. The Mountain Lions also forced 18 Fighting Falcons turnovers on 13 steals. Ratcliff tied her career-high mark of five steals.
 
A. Smith scored a new season-high 26 points on 9-of-12 from the field and 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. She also clinched back-to-back double-double performances as she hauled in 10 rebounds. J. Smith's 12 second half points netted her 18 points for the game. Atkinson also set a new career mark, finishing with 16 points. Junior guard Skylar Davidson filled her stat line as she had four points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
 
Concord begins a three-game road set on Saturday as it travels to Frostburg State for an MEC contest at 2:00 p.m.