Westfield State Races Past Fitchburg State, 82-52

Fahey collects team leading 12 points in Falcons conference setback

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 22, 2013) – The Fitchburg State women's basketball team dropped an 82-52 decision to MASCAC rival Westfield State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference action this evening at the recreation center.

In the opening period of play, Westfield State jumped out to 10-2 lead in the first three minutes of action, sparked by a pair of layups from sophomore Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass./Beverly)  and a three pointer by freshman guard Keri Doldoorian (Whitinsville, Mass./Sutton). Fitchburg State then went on a 7-0 run over the next two and half minutes to cut the deficit to just one (10-9) on a pair of buckets from junior Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) before senior Kelsey Johnston (Shirley, Mass./Saint Bernards) capped the run with a three pointer of her own.

Trailing by six (29-23) with just under two minute remaining in the half, the Falcons again cut the lead to just one basket as sophomore Megan Wodzinski (Littleton, Mass./Littleton) connected on a layup before classmate Kristen Enright (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) knocked down a jump shot . Doldoorian sank a pair of free-throws with five second left in the stanza to put the Owls up by four (31-27) at the break.

In the second half, Westfield State opened up a 14 point advantage in the first seven minutes of play, keyed by a pair of trey's from freshman Tayler Travis (Somerset, Mass./Somerset Berkley Regional) and two baskets by Doldoorian to take a commanding 50-36 lead en-route to their 12th victory of the season.

Fahey led the Falcon charge, totaling a team-leading 12 points and two rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, while senior Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) added eight points to go along with eight caroms.

For the Owls, Doldoorian posted a game-high 19 points, two boards and a pair of steals on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, while sophomore Gabby Felix (Springfield, Mass./Commerce) and Travis were also solid, connecting for 18 and 11 points respectively.

For the game, Westfield State shot 43.9% from the field, while hitting 8-of-14 (57.1%) from behind the arc. The Owls also controlled the glass, holding a 44-35 margin, while hitting 16-of-17 shots from the charity stripe (94.1%).

Fitchburg State (9-9, 2-4 MASCAC) will be back in action on Saturday as it visits Bridgewater State University at 1 p.m. Westfield State (12-7, 4-2 MASCAC) will host the Vikings of Salem State University for a contest starting at 1 p.m.