Steph Hart paces Green and Gold with 21 points and 21 rebounds

Fitchburg, MA – The Fitchburg State women's basketball team dropped an 88-70 decision to the Owls of Westfield State this afternoon in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action from the Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 70, Westfield State 88

Records: Fitchburg State (3-13, 0-2 MASCAC) | Westfield State (10-5, 3-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

1st quarter

Fitchburg State opened the contest with a 9-5 advantage on a bucket by three-pointer from senior Morgan Genness (Belgrade, ME) before Westfield State grabbed the lead 13-9 on a free-throw from senior Olivia Hadla (Westfield, MA). The Falcons regained the lead (17-13) as senior Stephanie Hart (Shirley, MA) registered a layup, but the Owls cut the deficit to 19-18 as Hadla notched a bucket.

2nd quarter

The Owls regained the advantage (26-19) with another basket from Hadla, but the Green and Gold answered back with a three-ball from newcomer Emma Adisa (Houston, TX). Fitchburg State rallied back to knot the score at 31-31 when junior Alexis DeSimone (Ashburnham, MA) connected on a layup before the visitor grabbed a 36-33 lead going into the break as senior Maddie Pond (Holyoke, MA) sank a pair from the free-throw line.

3rd quarter

Following the intermission, Fitchburg State trimmed the lead to 41-38 with senior Kathryn Hart (Shirley, MA) registering a layup, but Westfield State extended the margin to 53-44 on a basket from sophomore Ashley Ames (Valatie, NY). The Falcons responded with a jumper by senior Rylie Harlow (Hanson, MA) to make the score 59-46 before the Owls pushed the lead to 68-48 as senior Jordan Grant (Gray, ME) hit a layup.

4th quarter

The Green and Gold cut the lead to 72-58 on buckets from Steph Hart and Harlow before the Owls upped the advantage to 74-58 when junior Tavi Williams (Springfield, MA) hit a layup. Fitchburg State answered back as junior Aliza Som (Lowell, MA) connected on a layup, but Westfield State secured the victory when senior Hannah Seldon (Taunton, MA) notched a bucket, resulting in the 88-70 final.

Inside the Numbers

• Steph Hart led the way for Fitchburg State with a double of 21 points and 21 rebounds as well as three assists and one steal
• Harlow chipped in with 21 points, nine boards, four assists and two steals
• For the Owls, Grant finished with a team-leading 19 points, five caroms, thee assists and six steals
• Pond added 12 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals
• 85th meeting between Fitchburg State and Westfield State the basketball court with the Falcons 14-71 all-time against the Owls
• Fitchburg State shot 26-of-68 (38.2%) from the field and (3-of-15) 20.0
• Westfield State finished 36-of-96 (36.7%) overall and (8-for-42) 19.0% for beyond the arc
• The Falcons finished with a 73-43 edge on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Wednesday as they travel to Bridgewater State to take on the Bears in MASCAC action, starting at  7:30PM.

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