FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The West Liberty University women's basketball mounted a late surge but couldn't get over the hump here Sunday as Fairmont State held on for an 80-76 win at Joe Retton Arena.
    Coach Kyle Cooper's Hilltoppers (10-16, 6-14) trailed by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter but came roaring back to trail the Falcons (14-12, 11-9) by just two points, 78-76, on a Grace Fodor layup with 9 seconds to play.
    West Liberty fouled Fairmont's Paige Tuttle on the in-bounds pass to stop the clock but Tuttle dropped both free throws to restore the four-point margin, 80-76. The Hilltoppers got off two more shots in the waning seconds but couldn't get either to drop as the hosts escaped with the narrow decision.
    The disappointing setback overshadowed a career day for Fodor, a speedy senior guard from Hilliard, Ohio.
    The Hilltopper veteran scored a career-high 23 points – 15 of them in the first half – by going 8-for-10 from the floor and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. She also grabbed 6 rebounds in a highly-productive 24 minutes off the bench.
    Olivia Belknap backed Fodor with 17 points while Morgan Brunner added 15 tallies before fouling out in the waning seconds. Audrey Tingle scored just 4 points but grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds while dishing out a game-high 5 assists.
    Sierra Kotchman led all scorers with 29 points for Fairmont State with Rachel Laskody adding 19 more as both Fairmont State veterans were on the court for the entire 40 minutes. Tuttle's game clinching free throws pushed her into double figures with 11 points.
    The Hilltoppers take their final road trip of the season on Wednesday when they head to South Euclid, Ohio for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Notre Dame.