Fitchburg State Tripped Up 77-49 by Visiting Pine Manor in Non-Conference Play
FITCHBURG, Mass. – Fitchburg State University absorbed a 77-49 loss to visiting Pine Manor College in non-conference women's basketball action at Parkinson Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
Senior forward Erika Schneider and junior guard Shabeli Villa combined for 26 total points with junior guard Melissa Guglielmello adding eight points and seven rebounds during the contest for Fitchburg State.
Pine Manor was led by a trio of players as Erica Jones (16), Sybil Lynch (15), and Alexis Lee (15) each finished the game in double-digits to help propel the Gators past the Falcons.
Pine Manor opened up scoring in the inaugural minutes when sophomore guard Jones drove to the basket and through the lane to finish her lay-up for the quick lead.
The Gators converted their next possession when freshman center Taylor Martin picked up her first of seven points on the night. The Green and Gold responded, making their first shot of the game, a hard fought lay-in by Schneider (4-2).
Over the final eight minutes of the first stanza the two teams exchanged baskets while equaling point totals at nine apiece before time expired on the quarter with a tight 13-11 score.
When the second quarter began, Gators senior guard Lynch alternated baskets with Fitchburg State, scoring five quick points in between a free throw from Villa and a pair from the charity stripe by sophomore forward Michaela McTomney (18-14).
At the five-minute mark of the second quarter the visitors began to pull away going on a 15-4 scoring run as Jones capped off the run, beating the buzzer from deep and contributing five points during the drive helping her team to the 30-19 lead.
Coming out of the break, Schneider gained some momentum for the hosts nailing another contact lay-up before converting the and-one from the free-throw line.
But that momentum was short-lived as Pine Manor went onto dominate the third quarter using 12 Fitchburg State turnovers to go on a 22-9 scoring run with Lynch adding six points for the Gators during the stretch (56-30).
Fitchburg State promptly went to work on the deficit, opening the first five minutes of the fourth with an 11-7 advantage with three members of the team getting in on the scoring.
The Green and Gold turned in their best quarter of the game totaling 19 points in the final 10 minutes. But the comeback attempt fell short as the visitors pulled away, scoring 12 of the last 20, producing the final score of 77-49.
Fitchburg State shot 17-of-60 from the field (28.3%) and 2-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Pine Manor College finished the game 26-of-72 from the field (36.1%), eclipsing Fitchburg's shot total from three and ending 7-of-29 from beyond the arc (24.1%)
A combined 45 fouls were called, with the Gators converting 18-of-33 from the stripe (54.5%) to the Falcons 13-of-23 from the line (56.5%)
Throughout the contest, Pine Manor College held a slight advantage on the glass, pulling down 53 rebounds to Fitchburg State's 50 while controlling the offensive boards, 21-17.
The hustle stats were also controlled by the visiting Gators who forced 26 turnovers turning that into 27 points and led the game in second-chance scoring 25-19.
Fitchburg State University (0-20, 0-7 MASCAC) gets back into conference action Saturday February 6th when they travel to Bridgewater State University for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
Pine Manor College (7-12, 0-0 GSAC) returns to the road the same day to take on Vermont Tech at 3 p.m.
