Fitchburg State Shuts Down Western N.E., 62-49

Payette collects first double-double of season to lead Falcons to victory

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 10, 2008) - Senior forward Stephanie Payette (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex) registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead Fitchburg State to a 62-49 victory over host Western New England College in a non-conference action this evening. 

Payette led the Fitchburg State attack with her game-high 13 points, while the Falcons received 33 points from its reserves. Sophomore guard Kim Duprey (Bernardston, Mass./Pioneer Valley) led the Falcons off the bench with 12 points on four-of-five shooting from  three-point range.

Freshman forward Sarah Proper (Coxsackie, N.Y.) had a double-double for Western New England College with a season high 13 points and 11 rebounds. Junior forward Caitlin Powers (Scotia, N.Y.) was also solid with 12 points and five boards while junior guard Kailah Al-Darraji (Dover, N.H.) chipped in with 11 points.

Fitchburg State broke a 7-7 tie by scoring 11 straight points and took a 35-17 lead at halftime when Payette tossed in a three-pointer from just over mid-court as time expired.

The Golden Bears fought back from a 20-point deficit (37-17) to get within seven at 51-44 when freshman guard Mikaela Berthiaume (St. Albans, Vt.) drained a three-pointer with 6:19 left in the contest. The Falcons took the lead for good as Duprey's final three-pointer capped a 9-0 run to give Fitchburg State a comfortable 60-44 advantage with 4:19 remaining.

Fitchburg State (6-3, 0-0 MASCAC) will be off until December 28^th as it travels to Florida to participate in tournament play. Western New England (3-5, 0-0 TCCC) will travel to Castleton State College on Friday at 7 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 79, Rivier 69