Fitchburg State Swoops Past Westfield State, 75-71

Fahey notches game highs with a 22 point, 14 rebound double-double

WESTFIELD, Mass. (February 16, 2013) – Junior forward Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) led a balanced attack with game highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead Fitchburg State University to a 75-71 upset victory over Westfield State University this afternoon.

The setback spoiled Senior Day for the Owls, who are 16-9 overall and 8-4 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. Third-seeded Westfield will host a conference tournament game next Tuesday, while fifth-seeded Fitchburg State (11-13, 4-8 MASCAC) will visit fourth-seeded Framingham State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Five players scored in double figures for the Falcons, led by the athletic Fahey, who also had four assists and three blocks despite playing the final 13:34 with four fouls. Fahey only made five field goals but finished 12-for-17 from the foul line.

Fitchburg State shot 36 percent from the field, including 10-of-27 from three-point range. In the first half, the Falcons tallied 70 percent (7 for 17) of their points from beyond the arc, but it still trailed 31-30 at halftime.

Westfield jumped out to an early 7-0 lead as all three seniors – Angela Paterson, Briana Kelly, Jenny Bell – registered field goals, including a Paterson three-pointer that forced a Fitchburg State timeout.

But an inconsistent Owl offense and the Falcons' three-point shooting led to a 26-19 Fitchburg lead with 5:15 remaining in the first half. Westfield State regrouped to lead at the intermission, 31-30, with a 12-4 scoring run led by five points from freshman guard Keri Doldoorian and a traditional three-point play by Kelly.

The Owls appeared on the verge of pulling away early in the second half when they took a 40-33 lead, but the scrappy Falcons did not fold and quickly cut the deficit to a point, 40-39.  Westfield's biggest lead in the second half was eight points, 50-42, with 13:34 remaining when Doldoorian canned three free throws. The Falcons responded again, this time with a 12-0 run to take a 54-50 lead with 9:22 remaining. Junior Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass./Saint Bernards) led the key scoring spurt with five points and an assist.

Westfield took its final lead, 59-56, with 5:59 remaining following two layups by the hustling Bell. Cote countered with a layup and Andrea DeSousa (Taunton, Mass./Coyle Cassidy) drained a 3-pointer following a steal to give the Falcons the lead for good, 61-59, with 5:16 remaining.

Also scoring in double figures for Fitchburg State were Megan Wodzinski (14), DeSousa (11), Cote (10), and Kelsey Johnston (10).