Tuesday, December 13, 2011 (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) - The Mount Ida College women's basketball team snapped a six game winning streak Tuesday night at non-league and undefeated foe Fitchburg State University falling by a score of 72-62 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
The Mustangs, who rolled through their six game winning streak with victories over strong opponents like Wheaton College, Western New England University, and Westfield State University, drop their first game since November 22nd falling to 6-4 overall.
Mount Ida was led by sophomore Abbey Fedigan (New Fairfield, CT/New Fairfield) with 14 points going 5-12 from the four adding four boards. Freshman forward Jenn Rafuse (Brockton, MA/Brockton) recorded the first double-double of her career tallying 10 points and 11 caroms respectively. Junior guard Evebonee Acosta (Hartford, CT/Bulkeley/Gold-Beacom College) notched 12 points and four helpers as well.
Sophomore Amy Fahey (Wilmington, MA/Wilmington) sparked the Fitchburg State offense, posting a double-double effort of 26 points and 15 rebounds, while also adding three assists and three steals on the evening. Sophomore Meghan Secino (Leominster, MA/Saint Bernards) finished with 13 points with three buckets from beyond the arc, while senior Rebecca Goreham (Quincy, MA/North Quincy) nearly missed a double-double with nine points and game-best 18 caroms.
Both teams started the contest off strong, battling for position in the opening minutes, but Fitchburg State was able to make the first move, posting a 19-13 advantage by the 9:19 mark. Mount Ida rallied back with a 10-3 surge as Fedigan knocked down a three to give the Mustangs a one point margin (23-22).
Fitchburg State closed the first half strong however, using a 10-4 run to erase a five point deficit and take a 35-34 lead into the locker room. Fahey led the Falcons with 15 points in the half, while Fedigan notched double-figures for the Mustangs with 12 points.
In the second half, the Falcons came out soaring, posting a 7-2 run for a six point lead just 3:25 into the period. Senior Madeline Merchant (Garnder, MA/Monty Tech) sparked the Falcons off the bench, totaling three points and seven boards in the frame, while Fahey capped her night with 11 points, including 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Fitchburg State opened its lead to 10 points midway through the period as Merchant put back a Secino miss for a 55-45 advantage. The Mustangs answered immediately with a three from Acosta and a jumper from Allison O'Connor (Leominster, MA/Leominster), but back-to-back buckets from Laura Cote (Ashby, MA/Saint Bernards) and Fahey brought the Falcon lead back to ten with 5:23 remaining.
For the contest, Fitchburg State shot 36.6% from the field, including 13-of-30 in the first half, while Mount Ida was limited to just 32.0% shooting for the game, including 22.6% from three point range.
The Mustangs head into the semester break and will re-start 2012 action against visiting non-conference Framingham State University Thursday, January 5th with game time slated for 7:00 p.m.