Salem State Bounces Fitchburg State, 81-63
Fahey sparks Falcons with a team-best double-double of 24 points and 11 boards
SALEM, Mass. (February 26, 2014) – The Fitchburg State women’s basketball team traveled to Salem State University Tuesday night as the fifth-seeded Falcons fell to the fourth-seeded Vikings, 81-63 in quarterfinal action of the 2014 MASCAC Women’s Basketball Playoffs.
Senior Rachael Carter (Merrimack, N.H.) scored 28 points for the host Vikings who advanced to Thursday’s semifinal round against top-seeded Bridgewater State. Fitchburg State concludes its season with an overall record of 13-12 and currently waits for a potential ECAC Playoff berth.
Trailing in the beginning minutes of the first half, the Vikings took charge after a Ginny Fleming (Peabody, Mass.) mid-range jumper led Salem State on a 7-0 run to gain a 15-14 lead with 14:11 to play. The Vikings amped up their defensive pressure, forcing 10 Falcons turnovers that were converted into 12 fast break points.
Senior Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) helped the Falcons heavily on the offensive end in the first half, scoring 12 points on 5-8 shooting, while junior Megan Wodzinski (Littleton, Mass.) added seven points and three assists.
After being fouled behind the arc, Rebecca Fluet (Fitchburg, Mass.) knocked down all three free throws to cut the Vikings lead to 28-25 with 8:07 remaining in the first half, but a three-pointer from Rachel Ledbetter (Dracut, Mass.) sparked a 9-0 Salem State run which gave the Vikings a 34-27 lead with just over five minutes left. Carter scored 14 points in the half along with six points from Lara Bruni (Gloucester, Mass.). The Vikings closed out the half outscoring the Falcons 19-9 and entered halftime with a 44-35 lead.
Fitchburg State opened the second half on an 8-2 run which cut the deficit to just five, the closest it would come to Salem State the remainder of the night. The Vikings then went on an impressive 20-0 run which ran up their lead to 66-43, keeping the Falcons scoreless for five and a half minutes.
During that stretch, Carter scored eight points of her game-high final of 28. Another Ledbetter three-pointer gave Salem State their largest lead of the night at 27 points putting the score at 78-51 with 6:09 left to play in the half. The Vikings then sailed their way to an 81-63 victory over the Falcons.
Ashley White contributed with 12 points and seven assists. Ledbetter finished the game with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, shooting a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. Fleming also added 15 points to go along with six rebounds.
Fahey finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Falcons and Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass.) was the only other Fitchburg State player in double figures with 10 points. The Falcons shot just 27.6 % in the second half.