SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The West Virginia State University women's basketball team pushed late but still came up short to Notre Dame College, 95-85, on Wednesday night away from home.

The Yellow Jackets fall to 6-9 overall, 4-5 in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the defeat. Meanwhile, the Falcons jump to 14-1 on the season and 8-1 in the MEC with the victory.

Sophomore Charity Shears and freshman Destiny Fields led WVSU in scoring with 20 and 19 points, respectively. Both Chloe Cheresne and Sierra Womack came close to registering a double-double. Cheresne posted 10 points and six boards, while Womack recorded eight rebounds and seven points.

Notre Dame College jumped out to a 16-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game. West Virginia State responded with a 17-13 run to close out the first quarter. WVSU trailed by 10 points going into the second period, 29-19.

The second quarter was played evenly with both teams putting up 21 points each. The Yellow Jackets were faced with a 10-point deficit again going into halftime, 50-40.

The Falcons increased their advantage by 13 points in the third quarter. West Virginia State needed to overcome a 23-point deficit, 73-50, going into the final period.

The Yellow Jackets found their rhythm in the fourth quarter, outscoring their opponents 35-22. Charity Shears led the late surge by scoring 17 of her 20 total points in the last nine minutes of the contest.

West Virginia State took advantage of being sent to the foul line often, converting 18-of-26 (69 percent) free-throw attempts. On the other hand, Notre Dame College made merely 53 percent of its foul shots.

WVSU will be back at home to square up against Urbana (10-5, 6-3 MEC) on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.