Westfield State Quiets Fitchburg State, 71-56

Fahey drops 26 points in Falcons final regular season home contest

FITCHBURG, Mass. (February 18, 2012) – Sophomore Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) dropped 26 points this afternoon but the Fitchburg State women's basketball team fell to Westfield State, 71-56 in MASCAC action.

Despite the loss, Fitchburg State (16-8, 4-8 MASCAC) advances to the MASCAC playoffs earning the sixth-seed, while Westfield State (13-12, 6-6 MASCAC) claims the fourth-seed for the tournament. The Falcons will travel to MCLA on Tuesday, while the Owls await the decision of the Worcester State game later this evening.

Fahey led the Falcons offensive effort, hitting 13-of-22 from the field and adding eight rebounds to the mix, while senior Rebecca Goreham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) added a double-double effort of 14 points and 15 caroms. With 15 caroms, Goreham moves into sixth on the Fitchburg State all-time rebounds list with 719 boards.

For the Owls, freshman Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) had a solid game, totaling a team-best 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, while classmate Gabby Felix (Springfield, Mass./Commerce) added 16 points and seven rebounds. Junior Jenny Bell (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) chipped in with a double-double, posting 13 points and ten boards on the afternoon.

Westfield State jumped out to an early 11 point lead at the break, using a 12-2 run midway through the period. The Owls extended their lead to eight at the 2:58 mark, but junior Angela Patterson's (Nantucket, Mass./Nantucket) three-pointer with 0:07 remaining gave the Owls the double-digit lead at intermission as Westfield State closed the half with a 5-0 run.

In the second half, the Owls turned up the heat, posting a 12-0 run to open the frame and snag a 48-25 advantage. Fitchburg State answered Westfield's rally 18-4 surge of its own, but that's as close as the Falcons would come as the Owls maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.

For the game, Fitchburg State shot 38.1%, connecting on 24-of-63 shots from the field while Westfield State finished at 36.3% from the floor and 6-of-20 from beyond the arc.