Fitchburg State Sneaks Past Bridgewater State, 61-60

Rogers propels Falcons to second place in MASCAC with 16 points

FITCHBURG, Mass. (February 7, 2009) - Sophomore Kelley Rogers (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) posted 16 points and six rebounds as Fitchburg State edged Bridgewater State, 61-60 in MASCAC action this afternoon.

Rogers led the Fitchburg State attack with her team-high 16 points, while draining 7-of-9 free-throws. Junior Kari Averill (Barre, Vt./Spaulding) was also strong with 14 points, four boards and four steals, while senior Stephanie Payette (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex) registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.

Freshman Shelly DePina (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) led the Bridgewater State offense with a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds, while hitting 7-of-8 from the field. Junior Brittany Chappron (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) was also solid for the Bears, totaling 14 points and five rebounds, while rookie Stephanie Houtman (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) added nine points and a team-best nine boards.

Fitchburg State jumped out to an early 12 point lead (24-12) midway through the first half, but Bridgewater State rallied back to close the Falcon lead to two (31-29) at the break. Rogers led the Falcons with seven points in the first frame, while Houtman netted eight points for the guests.

In the second half, Fitchburg State came out soaring with an 11-2 run to open the period, but Bridgewater State ignited its second comeback of the match, posting a 14-4 rally to knot the game at 58-58 with 2:52 remaining in regulation.

After a quick lay-up and free throw gave the Falcons a 61-58 lead, Bridgewater State stormed back as DePina cashed in a lay-up to bring the Bears within one (61-60). With 5.3 seconds remaining, the Bears retained possession but Fitchburg State denied the Bears a final shot, securing its 13^th victory of the season.

Fitchburg State (13-8, 6-2 MASCAC) will hit the court again on Tuesday as it travels to Worcester State College at 5:30 p.m. Bridgewater State (13-8, 6-3 MASCAC) will travel to Worcester State on Saturday at 4 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 61, Bridgewater State 60