Fitchburg State Holds Off Westfield State, 83-72

Four Falcons notch double-figures in key MASCAC victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 28, 2014) – The Fitchburg State women's basketball team rebounded this evening, holding off Westfield State University, 83-72 in MASCAC action at the Recreation Center.

With the victory, Fitchburg State takes over first place in the MASCAC with an overall record of 10-6 and a 4-1 mark in the conference, while Westfield State falls to 11-8 on the year and 4-2 in the league.

Four Falcons hit double-figures with junior Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass.) leading the way with 18 points. Senior Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) was also solid, posting a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards, while junior Rebecca Fluet (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Megan Wodzinski (Littleton, Mass.) added 11 points and 10 points respectively.

Freshman Jill Valley (Orange, Mass.) paved the way for the Owls, posting a team-best 18 points with 6-of-12 shooting while senior Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass.) added 13 points and seven caroms. Sophomore Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst, Mass.) chipped in with a double-double of 12 points and 11 boards.

Fitchburg State jumped out to an early eight point advantage at the break (38-31), using a 12-0 run to open the game and balanced attack as eight players scored in the half. The Falcons led by as much as 16 in the half (31-15), but the Owls closed the deficit to only seven with a 16-7 run to close the half.

Fahey led the Falcons with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, while Cote added seven points with a 3-for-6 effort from the floor. Valley led the Owls with 11 points in the frame.

In the second half, Westfield State continued to inch back, cutting its deficit to only three (49-46) just seven minutes into the half. Fitchburg State extended its lead to eight with a pair of buckets from Fahey and a three pointer from Tori Cyrus (Everett, Mass.) and from there the Falcons never looked back, maintaining their three basket advantage for the remainder of the period.

For the game, Fitchburg State controlled the possession, causing 21 turnovers on the Westfield State end. The Owls held a small advantage on the boards, 46-43, but the Falcons shot 45.9% from the field to secure their 10th victory of the year.

Fitchburg State will be back in action on Thursday as it visits Bridgewater State at 5:30 p.m.