O'Day and Velozo Combine for 56 as Women's Basketball Defeats Fitchburg State 76-41

Framingham, Mass. – The duo of juniors Mary Kate O'Day (Berlin, Mass.) and Emily Velozo (Tewksbury, Mass.) combined for 56 points as the Framingham State University women's basketball team defeated Fitchburg State University 76-41 this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Center.

THE BASICS:

- Score:  Framingham State 76, Fitchburg State 41

- Records: Framingham State (9-4, 1-0 MASCAC), Fitchburg State (6-6, 0-1 MASCAC)

- Location: Athletic Center – Framingham, Mass.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Rams jumped out to a 10-2 lead midway through the first quarter led by seven points from O'Day on the run.
• Fitchburg closed the quarter with a 6-0 run over the final five minutes fueled by four points from junior Emily Beauvais (Haverhill, Mass.) to trail 10-8 after one.
• A layup from junior Angelina Marazzi (Manchester, NH) tied the game at 10-10 just 20 seconds into the second quarter, but the Rams would go on a 12-0 run over the next four minutes fueled by six points from O'Day and four from Velozo to take a 24-10 lead.
• Marazzi ended the spurt with layup, but a three from sophomore Camille Desrochers (Chelmsford, Mass.) put the Rams on top 27-12 before the hosts took a 33-17 lead at the half.
• In the third quarter, the Rams kept building on the lead and led by as many as 54-29.  The Rams continued to extend the lead and led by as many as 35 in the fourth quarter before securing the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• O'Day led all scorers with a game-high 34 points with nine rebounds, two assists and a steal.  O'Day connected on 14-of-26 from the floor.
• Velozo finished the contest with 22 points on 10-of-16 from the floor and added four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.
• Junior Julia Sanborn (Dracut, Mass.) grabbed a game-best 13 rebounds, while freshman Liana Cunningham (Quincy, Mass.) finished the game with seven assists.
• The Falcons were paced by a team-high 15 points from Marazzi. Marazzi connected on just seven-of-23 from the floor and added three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
• Junior Catherine Coppinger (Dorchester, Mass.) chipped in with 11 rebounds for the visitors.

UP NEXT:

The Rams are back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Worcester State for a MASCAC matchup at 7:30 p.m., while the Falcons host Salem State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.