SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- The West Virginia State University women's basketball team fell behind late at Notre Dame College on Saturday and were ultimately defeated, 61-49.

The Yellow Jackets slip to 17-8 overall and 13-7 in the Mountain East Conference while the Falcons improve to 13-12 overall and 12-8 in the league standings after the result.

The leading scorer for WVSU was junior gaurd Hannah Shriver with 15 points. Teammate Ashley Davis contributed nine points while ZZ Russell had eight points. Emyah Fortenberry brought down seven total rebounds to lead the squad.

The opening stanza of the game started as a defensive battle. West Virginia State only allowed Notre Dame to score two points in the opening five minutes of play. The Yellow Jackets used their great defensive performance to take a quick 8-2 lead heading into the media timeout. Both teams seemed to settle in after the commercial break with the teams trading baskets for the final five minutes. The Yellow Jackets never trailed in the first period and went into the second quarter with a 17-12 lead.

To begin the second period, the Falcons went on an 8-0 run to obtain their first lead, 20-17, four minutes into the period. However, Shriver made sure the lead was short lived as she hit three treys in a row to give WVSU a 26-22 advantage. Over the next four minutes, the teams exchanged baskets until NDC was able to tie it at 28-all. The first half ended how it started with a defensive battle between the two sides. Notre Dame ended up with a one-point advantage, 30-29, going into the break.

The fierce opponents went back and forth for the first five minutes of the second half, but the Falcons were the captors of a 39-34 advantage going into the media timeout. Nevertheless, the Yellow Jackets were able to square back up with a 7-2 run over a minute-long stretch that tied the contest at 41-apiece. Both teams tightened up defensively again to end the third stanza. WVSU was left with a two-point deficit, 45-43, heading into the final ten minutes.

The final period was controlled by the Falcons as the Yellow Jackets were outscored, 16-6. The final six points for WVSU came courtesy of the Shears twins. 

West Virginia State will return home to face Concord on Wednesday, Feb. 23rd. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m., with live stats and video available. The two teams met early in the season with the Mountain Lions winning a close battle, 75-69.