Nichols Edges Fitchburg State, 86-84 (OT)

Fluet leads Falcons to 2-0 start with victory over NESCAC Panthers

DUDLEY, Mass. (November 21, 2013) - Juniors Alexis Wegrzynek (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Amber Litwinko (Berlin, Conn.) each recorded a double-double to help the Nichols College women's basketball team overcome a seven-point halftime deficit and defeat Fitchburg State University 86-84 in overtime Thursday night.

Litwinko finished the contest with a team-high 21 points to go along with 12 boards and four assists while Wegrzynek tallied 16 points and a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with five steals. Senior captain Devon Spirka (Wilmington, Vt.) knocked down four of five 3-point attempts en route to a 20-point performance, and junior Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) came off the bench to score 19 points. 

Fitchburg State senior Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) led all scorers with 35 points on 15-of-19 shooting. She also registered nine rebounds, seven blocks, five steals, and two assists. Junior Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass.) was next for the Falcons (2-1) with 17 points, shooting 6-of-15 from the field while classmate Britney Payne (Franklin, Ky.) filled the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

The Falcons took a 38-31 lead into halftime behind 14 points from Fahey and nine from Cote. They shot 42 percent from the field and forced nine turnovers. Nichols, meanwhile, was paced by Whitestone with eight points as well as six points and seven boards from Wegrzynek.

Fitchburg State's lead swelled to 10 on a layup by Fahey with 13:07 on the clock. The Bison climbed to within two points (60-58) after Whitestone ripped off five-straight points, and a pair of free throws by Litwinko brought them all the way back at 60-60 with 6:20 to go in the half. The two schools traded the lead twice down the stretch when, trailing by three with 1:17 to go, Whitestone canned a triple to tie the game at 74 and force OT.

With the game tied at 76 and 3:35 on the clock in the extra session, Spirka nailed a three-pointer to put the Bison ahead for good at 79-76. The lead grew to six (82-76) on a free throw by Wegrzynek and a layup by Whitestone, but a layup from junior Rebecca Fluet (Fitchburg, Mass.) with 45 ticks left brought the Falcons to within two. A Nichols turnover gave Fitchburg one final shot to tie or win the game, but Fahey's layup attempt was swatted away by Spirka, and Wegrzynek gobbled up the rebound to seal the win.

Fitchburg State finished the contest shooting at a 46 percent clip (32-of-70), won the turnover battle 21-18, and picked up assists on 18 of its 32 field goals (56 percent). Nichols, meanwhile, received 25 points from its bench and had 22 second-chance points. The Bison also owned the glass, finishing the night with a 62-40 edge in rebounds.

The Bison travel to Lasell Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. contest. The Falcons host UMass Boston Tuesday at 7 p.m.