SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. – Senior guard Kari Lankford (York, Pa./West  York Area)  scored 18 points to lead four Rams in double figures as Shepherd (10-8, 7-5 MEC) held off Fairmont State (7-11, 4-8 MEC) for a 72-64 victory in MEC women's basketball action at the Butcher Center on Saturday. 

Lankford connected on 6-of-11 field goals with a 0-1 effort from three-point range. She drained 6-of-12 free throws. Lankford added game highs of nine assists and six steals.

Sophomore forward Sydney Clayton (Frederick, Md./St. John's)  had 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Marley McLaughlin (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield) added 16 points, while senior guard Kayla Tibbs (Leesburg, Va./Heritage/Glenville State) tossed in 12 points. Tibbs connected on a pair of three-pointers to tie the Shepherd single-season mark of 59 that she shares with Morgan Arden (2017-18) and Katie Biggs (2011-12).

Brooke Kurucz scored 19 points to lead the Fighting Falcons. Kamrin Weimer added 11 points, while Rachel Ladosky tossed in 10.

Shepherd had a 41-32 lead at halftime behind 13 first-half point s from Lankford.

Shepherd led by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter, but the Fighting Falcons rallied to within four points at 66-62 after a pair of free throws by Weimer with 2:07 left. Tibbs hit a jumper and Lankford hit 4-of-4 free throws in the game's final minutes to seal the win.

Shepherd shot 48.4 percent (30-62) from the floor with a 33.3 percent effort (3-9) from three-point range for the game. The Rams connected on 50 percent (9-18) of their free throws.

Fairmont State hit on 51 percent (26-51 from the floor with a 30.8 percent (4-13) performance from beyond the arc. The Falcons connected on 66.7 percent (8-12) of their free throws.

Shepherd had a 37-26 advantage in rebounding. The Rams forced 17 turnovers and committed 10.

The Rams return to action on Wednesday when they host West Liberty at 5:30 p.m.