Bridgewater State Stops Fitchburg State, 78-59

Falcons fall for first time this season in MASCAC opener

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 7, 2012) – The Fitchburg State women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2011-12 season, falling to Bridgewater State University, 78-59 in MASCAC opening action this afternoon.

Bridgewater State grabbed a seven point advantage after the first half of play, using a 13-8 run over the final minutes of the frame. Senior Shelley DePina (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) led the Bears with ten points on 5-of-10 shooting for the half, while sophomore Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) notched 11 points and two rebounds for the Falcons.

Both teams opened the first half battling, trading shots for the first ten minutes of play with the score standing at a 15-15 deadlock just 12 minutes into the game. Minutes later, Bridgewater State opened a 12-6 scoring surge as Megan Boutilette (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) and Alana Watkins (Wareham, Mass./Wareham) hit consecutive lay-ups and DePina capped the run with a lay-up down low.

In the second half, the Bears opened the second half with a 12-1 run, using solid shooting from sophomore Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass./Ludlow). Williamson connected for a pair of threes in the span, notching six of her 13 second half points to spark the Bridgewater surge..

Fitchburg State broke the Bridgewater run with a lay-up by senior Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Monty Tech) off the bench and jumper by sophomore Meghan Secino (Leominster, Mass./Saint Bernards), but back-to-back buckets from the Bears kept the Falcons deficit at 20 (54-34).

A three by freshman Gina Angelini (Fitchburg, Mass./Leominster) brought the Falcons within 15 midway through the second half, but Bridgewater State answered again as Ciara Williamson (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) connected for her first three of the half to extend the Bears lead to 60-42.

Down the stretch, Fitchburg State made its comeback, coming within 12 by the 4:54 mark, but Bridgewater State rifled eight straight points to regain a 20 point advantage and secure the its first league victory. For the contest, the Falcons out-shot the Bears 47.7% to 45.6% but 34 Fitchburg State turnovers led to 34 Bridgewater State points and proved the difference maker.

Junior Michaela Cosby (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) led the Bridgewater State attack with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Williamson and DePina added 20 points and 17 points respectively. Fahey led the Falcons offense with 20 points, hitting 7-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe, while sophomore Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass./Saint Bernards) added eight points and three steals.

Fitchburg State (11-1, 0-1 MASCAC) will be back in action on Wednesday as it hosts Fisher College at 5:30 p.m. Bridgewater State (6-5, 1-0 MASCAC) will host Framingham State on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.