INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team was beaten by Fairmont State, 101-87, on Saturday afternoon at the Walker Convocation Center. Two Yellow Jackets posted season-highs in spite of the defeat.

The Yellow Jackets fall to 2-5 on the season, 1-3 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the loss. Meanwhile, the Falcons improve to 5-4 overall, 3-1 in the MEC with the win.

Sophomore guard Charity Shears drained four shots from three-point range and nine shots from the field on her way to a season-high 26 points. Sophomore forward Chloe Cheresne registered a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Destiny Fields almost picked up her third double-double of the season by grabbing a season-high 14 boards alongside nine points. She is averaging 14.4 points and 9.9 rebounds so far this season.

Outside of the first quarter, the game was incredibly tight-knit. Fairmont State went on an 11-0 run in the middle of the opening quarter to create a 14-point advantage, 25-11. Charity Shears made a couple of layups in the last two minutes to keep the game from getting out of hand. WVSU was down by 10 points, 27-17, at the end of the first period.

The second quarter was much closer with the Falcons getting the edge, 25-21. At halftime, the Yellow Jackets were faced with another 14-point deficit, 52-38.

West Virginia State kept the scoreline close in the third quarter as well. This period, the Yellow Jackets were only outscored by a single point, 25-24. WVSU then went into the fourth quarter down by 15 points, 77-62.

West Virginia State was finally able to outscore Fairmont State in the final period, 25-24. The Yellow Jackets went on a 13-6 run in the last two minutes of the contest to somewhat close the gap. The late effort was not enough to overcome the slow start, however.

West Virginia State will play Wheeling at the Walker Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11 for its next game. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.