Framingham State Clips Fitchburg State, 66-61

Payne notches double-double in key MASCAC contest with Rams

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (February 4, 2014) – Freshman Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) established new career-highs with 29 points and 15 rebounds as the Framingham State University women's basketball team defeated Fitchburg State, 66-61 in MASCAC action this evening.

With the win, the Rams improve to 11-9 on the year and 5-3 in the conference while the Falcons move to 10-9 overall and even out at 4-4 in league action.

Rackliffe, who was one rebound shy of a double-double at the break, went 12-for-17 from the field and 5-for-7 from the free throw line and stuffed the stat sheet with three blocks, two assists and a steal. Senior Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) pulled down 10 boards – all offensive – to go along with nine points and four helpers. Freshman Monta Connolly (Lynn, Mass.) finished with 12 points and six rebounds.

Junior Britney Payne (Franklin, Ky.) posted a double-double for the Falcons as she scored 20 and corralled 10 rebounds. Junior Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass.) tacked on 14 points and sophomore Megan Wodzinski (Littleton, Mass.) scored 10. Payne and Wodzinski were also credited with three steals apiece.

Neither team gained a sizable advantage until the Rams slowly began to pull away midway through the first half. A pair of free throws and a layup by Connolly, along with a jumper by Hoffman, put the hosts ahead 17-11 with 8:46 left in the opening frame. A triple by junior Johanna Annunziata (Auburn, Mass.) pushed the lead to 10 just 1:32 later. After Payne sank a jumper with 5:40 left in the stanza, the Rams forged ahead and had as much as a 17-point cushion with 1:26 on the clock.

Hoffman drained a three early in the second half to get the lead back to 17. Fitchburg State then embarked on a 9-3 run that began with an Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) three-point play and ended with three consecutive layups by Cote. Sophomore Andreya DeSousa (Taunton, Mass.) brought the game within single digits (48-39) with 11:12 showing on the scoreboard.

The Rams utilized a 12-2 outburst punctuated by a Rackliffe jumper as the hosts lead ballooned to 19. With just under five minutes to play, Fitchburg State used a 9-2 run to get within 10 with just under a minute left. Payne then finished the game on a personal 9-0 run for the Falcons.

Framingham State out-rebounded the guests 41-29, including a 34-18 margin on the defensive glass. The Rams also shot 51.9 percent from the field compared to Fitchburg State's 35.8 percent.

The Rams head to Bridgewater State for a 1:00 p.m. contest on Saturday while the Falcons take a break from conference action with a rescheduled home game against Western New England on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.