Fitchburg State Shuts Down Lasell, 76-64

Four Falcons record double-figures in third victory of the season

FITCHBURG, Mass. (December 3, 2013) – The Fitchburg State University women's basketball team jumped back into the win column this evening, downing the Lasers of Lasell College, 76-64 in non-conference action at the Recreation Center.

Junior Rebecca Fluet (Fitchburg, Mass.) paced four Fitchburg State players in double-figures, totaling a game-high 21 points with 7-of-10 shooting from the field to go with four assists and two steals. Senior Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) and sophomore Megan Wodzinski (Littleton, Mass.) were also solid with 13 points and 12 points respectively, while junior Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass.) added 11 points, five steals and four assists.

Sophomore guard Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) led the Lasell attack, posting a team-high 18 points with 9-of-12 shooting from the free-throw line, while junior Danielle Auntencio (Montville, Conn.) added a double-double effort of 17 points and 12 rebounds.

After a slow paced first half which witnessed an eight point advantage for the Falcons (30-22) and 24 total turnovers, Lasell swung the momentum in its favor early in the second, knotting the score at 36-36 with 12:48 remaining in the contest.

Stopera and Molly Lauver (Cambridge, N.Y.) kick started the Lasers rally with a lay-up and three pointer respectively, while junior Alexis Chappell (State Island, N.Y.) closed the run with an and-one effort down-low. Moments later, Lasell took just its third lead of the contest, 41-40 behind a three from Stopera at the 10:32 mark.

From there, Fitchburg State took over, using the strong defensive play from Britney Payne (Franklin, Ky.). A steal from Payne at the 9:53 mark led to a trey from Cote to give the Falcons a two point advantage (43-41), while another theft and lay-up from the junior transfer put Fitchburg State up 45-41.

The Falcons continued to cruise down the stretch, posting a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to regain their double-digit advantage. Junior Tara Ingram (Palmer, Mass.) ignited the run with back-to-back buckets, while Fahey and Cote connected for five consecutive points at the 6:51 mark. The Falcons then sealed the victory over the next five minutes of play, scoring 11 times on its last 15 possessions for the 76-64 final.

For the game, Fitchburg State controlled the defensive end, holding a 46-40 margin in rebounds and a 28-19 advantage in turnovers. Lasell out-shot the Falcons 42.3% to 36.4% but Fitchburg State finished 6-of-15 from beyond the arc and 14-of-18 from the charity stripe to clinch its third victory of the year.

Fitchburg State (3-2, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Thursday as it visits Tufts University at 7 p.m. Lasell (3-4, 0-0 GNAC) will host Westfield State on Thursday at 7 p.m.