UMass Boston Holds Off Fitchburg State, 59-47

Payne nears triple-double mark with 12 points, 12 boards and nine steals

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 26, 2013) – The Fitchburg State University women's basketball team hosted the Beacons of UMass Boston this evening, falling 59-47 in non-conference action at the Fitchburg State Recreation Center.

Sophomore Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) paced the UMass Boston attack, posting a game-high 26 points en route to a double-double with 16 rebounds and two steals. The sophomore forward shot 10-of-26 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, while bringing down ten defensive boards.

Junior Laura Perra (Taunton, Mass.) was also solid for the Beacons, turning in eight points on the evening, while senior Andrea Suffrendini (Milford, Mass.) added a consistent effort of seven points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

For the Falcons, newcomer Britney Payne (Franklin, Ky) led the way, notching a near triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine steals, while sophomore Megan Wodzinski (Littleton, Mass.) also collected 12 points with 5-of-10 shooting on the night.

In the first half, UMass Boston took a 37-21 advantage into the locker room as the Beacons received a 16 point, eight rebound effort from Murphy. The Beacons opened the contest with an early 10-5 advantage and later closed the half with a 21-5 surge for the 16 point, halftime margin.

Payne was strong in the first half for the Falcons, totaling eight points on 4-of-6 shooting over 16 minutes played, while Wodzinski added five points in the frame.

The Falcons trailed by as much as 20 throughout the second frame (55-35) as the Beacons received strong play from Murphy, Brittany Moore (Billerica, Mass.) and Katrina Edwards (Springfield, Mass.), but Fitchburg State rallied back, closing the gap to just ten (55-45) with 2:07 remaining in the contest.

Payne led the Falcons charge with tenacious defense, while senior Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) connected on back-to-back lay ups at the 3:12 mark to bring Fitchburg State within striking distance. The Falcons inched even closer moments later as junior Rebecca Fluet (Fitchburg, Mass.) drained a pair of free-throws on the Falcons next possession but UMass Boston sealed its fate down the stretch, using with four consecutive free-throws from Moore and Perra for the 12 point victory.

For the game, UMass Boston controlled the glass, posting a 55-43 advantage, including a 21-12 margin on the offensive end. The Beacons finished 21-of-69 from the field and took 24 trips to the free-throw line, while Fitchburg State shot 20-of-63 from the floor, but finished just 3-of-8 from the charity stripe.

Fitchburg State (2-2, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Lasell at 7 p.m. UMass Boston (3-1, 0-0 LEC) will host Mount Ida College at 5:30 p.m.