Women's Basketball Opens Conference Play with 67-58 Loss at Fitchburg State

Fitchburg, Mass. –  The Framingham State University women's basketball team opened its 2010-11 conference schedule this afternoon with 67-58 loss on the road this afternoon at Fitchburg State. 

Fitchburg State senior Melissa Proffitt (Hubbardston, Mass.) paced the Falcon offense, posting a team-high 14 points and six assists, while shooting 6-of-12 from the floor on the afternoon. Classmates Molly Maloney (Taunton, Mass.) and Kelley Rogers (Lowell, Mass.) were also strong with 12 points apiece, while guard Kim Duprey (Bernardston, Mass.) chipped in 11 points off the bench (3-of-6 3PT).

Framingham State freshman Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) sparked the Rams offensively, collecting a game-high 16 points to go along with four rebounds and five steals, while sophomore Michelle Haggerty (Somerville, Mass.) also hit double figures with ten points on 5-of-7 shooting. Rookie guard Cassie Liston (Stoneham, Mass.) rounded out the Rams top scorers with nine points, including a 3-for-6 performance from beyond the arc.

In the early minutes of the contest, Fitchburg State jumped out to a commanding 13 point lead (19-6), using a pair of three's from Duprey at the 7:20 mark, but Framingham State rallied back over the final three minutes of play to head into the break down only two at 27-25. Liston led the Ram charge with back-to-back trifectas, while sophomore Kia Minor (Edgartown, Mass.) and senior Nicole McGonaghy (Medford, Mass.) added a pair of lay-ups in the surge.

In the second half, Fitchburg State turned to its post players, outscoring Framingham State 16-4 in the paint. The Falcons grabbed a seven point advantage with 5:52 remaining on the clock, following an unconventional, three-point play by Rogers, and later cashed in from beyond the arc as Maloney connected her second trey of the day. Down the stretch, Fitchburg State secured its first conference victory, hitting eight of its last ten free-throws for the win.

Fitchburg State used a 46.2% shooting effort in the second half to collect his seventh victory of the season, while the Falcons held Framingham State to only nine field goals in the frame. The Falcons took advantage of 24 Ram turnovers to post 18 points and controlled the boards with 37 rebounds in the contest.

Fitchburg State (7-5, 1-0 MASCAC) will be in action next Saturday as it travels to Bridgewater State at 2 p.m. Framingham State (8-5, 0-1 MASCAC) will host Bridgewater State on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.