Fitchburg State Downs Westfield State, 64-55

Falcons earn second place finish in MASCAC with 9-3 record overall

WESTFIELD, Mass. (February 21, 2009) - Sophomore forward Melissa Proffitt (Hubbardston, Mass./Quabbin Regional) had game-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds to lead Fitchburg State to a 64-55 victory over Westfield State in the regular season finale this afternoon.

MELISSA PROFFITT

Proffitt led the Falcons with her team-high 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field while senior Stephanie Payette (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex) registered 12 points and seven boards. Junior Kari Averill (Barre, Vt./Spaulding) was also solid with 15 points, shooting 43.0% from the floor.

Senior Andrea Wasuk (Lenox, Mass./Lenox) led Westfield State with 16 points as she moved into fourth place on the Owl's all-time scoring list with 1,325 points. Senior Katie Sylvain (Hadley, Mass./Hopkins Academy) was also strong for the Owls, scoring 13 points, while shooting 36 percent from the field.

Fitchburg raced to a 16-4 lead in the opening five minutes of the first half, but Westfield rebounded from its slow first-half start and took a 25-24 lead on a layup by Andrea Wasuk (Lenox) with 3:50 remaining before the break. The Falcons rallied back late in the half, grabbing a halftime lead of 29-28 as Proffitt connected for 14 of her 20 points in the first half.

In the second half, Fitchburg State outscored Westfield 16-3, in the first seven minutes of the frame. The Falcons jumped out to a 14-point, 45-31 lead, with 13:06 left in the game on a three-point basket by sophomore Molly Maloney (Taunton, Mass./Taunton). Westfield cut the lead to eight points, 50-42, with 7:22 remaining, but Payette sparked a Falcon 7-0 run by scoring five points with a three pointer to give Fitchburg State a 57-42 lead with 3:48 remaining.

The loss snapped Westfield's 11-game winning streak. The Owls finished the regular season 20-4 overall with an 11-1 mark in the MASCAC, while Fitchburg State ended its regular season with a 16-9 overall and second place finish in the MASCAC. Both teams received a bye in the six-team conference postseason tournament next weekend. Westfield State will host the semi-final round on Friday, February 27^th and the championship game on Saturday, February 28^th.

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Fitchburg State 64, Westfield State 55