Becker Edges Fitchburg State, 44-37
Schneider paces Falcons with 11 points in non-conference setback
FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Fitchburg State women's basketball team dropped a non-conference bout against Hawks of Becker College this afternoon at the Parkinson Gymnasium by a final score of 44-37.
Freshman guard Adrianna Dowdy and classmate Ciara McKissick brought down a combined 28 boards, while helping to create 22 second chance points in their team's first win of the season.
Fitchburg State opened the scoring when senior forward Stephanie Leveillee intercepted an attempted pass on the first defensive possession, taking the rock coast to coast and converting her lay-up for the first points of the game.
Becker College proceeded to go on a 7-3 run, as senior forward Gabrielle Gallo and newcomer guard Marissa Turner each scored buckets for Becker during their three-minute drive.
The visitors closed the first quarter leading 14-7, and opened the second quarter by adding to it with a quick three-ball by freshman guard Katey Anderson, sparking a 7-2 run (21-9) by the Hawks with 5:37 left in the first half.
Following a the timeout, the Green and Gold scored seven straight points to cut into the deficit, with freshman guard Hannah Keohan converted both attempts from the charity stripe, followed by
back-to-back buckets from juniors Shabeli Villa and Melissa Guglielmello to bring the gap to six points (21-15).
In the final 10 seconds of the half, the Hawks held for the final shot, as McKissick converted her jumper from inside the three-point arc as the buzzer sounded, resulting in the 25-15 advantage, going into the break.
Following intermission, Fitchburg State opened the third by scoring five consecutive points before the opposition broke into a 10-4 run to close out the quarter, as Dowdy connected on alll six of her points during the five-minute span to make the score 35-26.
With seven minutes left in the contest and the home team trailing by six points (35-29), sophomore Holly Wentworth converted her first points of the game, nailing a clutch three pointer to reduce the deficit to three points.
The Green and Gold got big defensive stops down the stretch to keep the gap at three points, before Wentworth with ice in her veins, nailing a clutch jumper from inside the arc to bring the Falcons within one point (35-34).
Anderson responded for Becker, hitting her own jumper before Schneider came back with two of her own to keep the score within one. That would be as close as it would get for the home team, as Becker ended the game with a 7-1 run, resulting in the final score of 44-37.
For Fitchburg State, senior Erika Schneider had a game-high 11 points, shooting 4-10 from the field and adding three from the free throw line, while corralling seven rebounds. For the Hawks, McKissick and Gallo each contributed 10 points, with McKissick bringing down a game-high 16 rebounds to add to her two assists.
During the contest Becker College held a slight advantage in rebounds leading the battle in the paint 52 to 46. On the offensive glass, Becker picked up 22 second chance points from 23 offensive boards, with the Falcons picking up 10 points off of 15 offensive caroms.
Fitchburg State (0-7; 0-0 MASCAC) return to the hardwood on Tuesday, December 1st, as they travel to Anna Maria for a non-conference game at 8:00 p.m. Becker College (1-4; 0-0 NECC) will also be in action on Tuesday, as they host Wheelock College to open conference play at 7:00 p.m.
Release Courtesy of Fitchburg State Student journalist Kyle Prudhomme