Concord's Late Surge Falls Short at West Virginia Wesleyan

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – Despite a 34-point fourth quarter, the Concord University women's basketball team lost 81-79 to West Virginia Wesleyan Wednesday night in a Mountain East Conference game at the Rockefeller Center.

CU (8-5, 4-2 MEC) trailed 58-45 entering the fourth quarter. The lead grew to 63-48 with 7:05 remaining before the Mountain Lions ripped off eight straight points in 55 seconds with junior guard Alexis Frazee going for both an old-fashioned three-point play and connecting on a three-pointer during the quick spurt.

The advantage for West Virginia Wesleyan (7-2, 5-1 MEC) teetered between seven and nine points until sophomore guard Kenyah Stubbs was good on two free throws at the 3:33 mark. Senior forward Olivia Ziolkowski trimmed the margin to three points, 73-70, with 1:44 remaining. The Bobcats answered with two free throws before senior forward Abbie Smith had her own three-point play with 1:11 remaining.

On the ensuing Bobcats' possession, the home team turned it over after a shot clock violation, but the Mountain Lions could not take advantage as they were unable to get a shot off with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Wesleyan was stellar at the stripe down the stretch, and Frazee hit a three-point with 0.4 seconds left, but CU fell by two points.

To start the game, neither team led by more than two possessions until WVWC hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the second quarter to take the lead to 24-15. Concord cracked off a 9-2 run with Smith finishing off a three-point play at the 6:30 of the second. It was as close as the Mountain Lions would get until late in the fourth quarter.

Smith just missed a double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds. Stubbs scored half of her points at the foul line as she finished 11-of-14 at the free-throw stripe. She  added five assists

Ziolkowski was 10-for-15 from the field for her 20 points.

Frazee hit two of Concord's three three-pointers in the contest as part of her 11 points.

The Mountain Lions shot 50 percent from the field (29-for-58), and 62 of the 79 points for Concord came either in the paint or at the foul line (44 paint points, 18 at the charity stripe).
CU returns to the Carter Center to face Davis & Elkins 2:00 p.m. Saturday.