by Chris Thomas, FSU Student Assistant

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. - WV Wesleyan held on to defeat Fairmont State, 61-55, on Monday evening in Buckhannon. Kaitlin Snyder led all scorers with 32 points. WV Wesleyan's Jamie Kaufman countered with a double-double on 25 points and 16 rebounds (eight offensive) for the Bobcats.

The loss drops the Falcons to 10-6 overall and 7-5 in conference play. Wesleyan improves to 10-5 (8-4 WVIAC).

Snyder shot 7-of-14 from beyond the arc with five of her three-pointers coming in the second half. Snyder was the only Falcon to reach double figures scoring. Kendra Holmes contributed with six points and nine rebounds. Kelsi Wright had five points off the bench for the Falcons. Hailey Garrett was limited to just three points but had seven rebounds for the Falcons.

In addition to Kaufman’s double-double, Lydia Bridenbaugh had 12 points and nine rebounds (seven offensive) and Danae Hill added nine points for the Bobcats.

Wesleyan held a 55-39 rebounding advantage for the game, including 24 on the offensive end. Fairmont State had 16 steals for the game, including 10 in the second half.

Wesleyan went on a 10-0 run early in the first half to extend a four-point advantage to a 14-point advantage just six minutes into the opening half. Kaufman keyed the run with six points during the stretch. With just over five minutes remaining in the opening half of play, the Bobcats held a 25-14 advantage before going on a 12-2 run to end the half with a 37-16 lead. Kaufman scored six points and Bridenbaugh added four during that stretch. The Falcons shot just 17 percent from the field in the first half, while Wesleyan shot 40 percent. Kaufman led all first half scorers with 16 points and eight rebounds. Snyder scored 11 of Fairmont State’s 16 first half points.

Fairmont State would fight their way back into the game in the second half with a 17-2 run that lasted just under five minutes to cut the Bobcat lead to 54-46 with seven minutes to go in the game. The Falcons forced five Wesleyan turnovers and Snyder scored eight points to key the run for the Falcons.

Snyder would hit a three-pointer with 2:03 remaining to get the Falcons within four points, 57-53. But Bridenbaugh and Kaufman scored on consecutive possessions to extend the Bobcat lead back to eight-points. Nicholson would score on the next possession but the Falcons fell short, 61-55.

Fairmont State will return to action on Thursday night when they travel to Glenville State, tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.