Fitchburg State Shoots Past Women's Basketball, 69-59
Fitchburg, Mass. - Junior Molly Maloney (Taunton, Mass.) netted a game-high 19 points to pace Fitchburg State and lead the Falcons to its first conference victory with a 69-59 win over Framingham State College this afternoon.
Trailing by one at the half, Fitchburg State used clutch free-throw shooting throughout the second half (17-of-24) to collect its sixth victory of the season. Sophomore Rebecca Goreham (Quincy, Mass.) sparked the Falcons second half run, posting ten of her 12 points with 10-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line.
Framingham State overcame an early first-half deficit (16-8), using a 21-10 run over a span of 5:40 to take its first lead of the contest (27-26). The Rams took advantage of 12 Falcon fouls and 11 turnovers as Kia Minor (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) connected for nine points in the run, including a three-point play at the 9:48 mark to give Framingham the one point edge.
The second half remained deadlocked with five lead changes and two scoring ties, but Fitchburg State closed out the contest with an 8-0 run to secure the victory. Goreham led the Falcons down the stretch, sinking six consecutive free-throws, while Maloney and senior Kari Averill (Barre, Vt.) each netted a pair.
Maloney led the Falcons from the floor, shooting a team-best 7-for-18, including 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Goreham drained 12-of-14 from the free-throw line to collect her third double-double of the season (14 points, 10 boards), while junior Melissa Proffitt (Hubbardston, Mass.) and Averill added ten points apiece.
Sophomore Emily Clark (Melrose, Mass.) led the Rams offense, shooting 75.0% from the floor (8-of-12) for 18 points and five boards, while Minor barely missed a double-double with 15 points and eight caroms (six offensive). Senior Toya Chester (Leominster, Mass.) also chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds for the Rams.
Fitchburg State (6-5, 1-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Thursday as it hosts Eastern Nazarene College at 7 p.m. Framingham State (4-5, 0-1 MASCAC) will visit Bridgewater State on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.