FITCHBURG, Mass. (December 10, 2011) – The Fitchburg State women's basketball team extended its season-opening winning streak to nine games this afternoon, defeating Western New England College, 89-73 in non-conference action.

With the victory, Fitchburg State improves to 9-0 on the season, while Western New England falls to 2-6 on the year.

Sophomore Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) continued with her hot hand for the Falcons, totaling a game-high 30 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 14-of-15 from the free-throw line. Sophomores Meghan Secino (Leominster, Mass./Saint Bernards) and Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass./Saint Bernards) were also solid with 24 points and 15 points respectively, while senior Rebecca Goreham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) added a team-best 11 rebounds and eight points on the afternoon.

Fitchburg State controlled the contest from the starting, taking a nine point advantage (38-29) into the locker room at the break. The Falcons used an 8-0 run to open the contest and later capitalized on a 9-3 string to boast its largest lead of the frame at 19-10.

In the second period, Fitchburg State continued its momentum, shooting 56.0% from the field, including 50.0% from the three point line and 90.5% from the charity stripe. The Falcons extended their lead to 16 just three minutes into the period as Secino opened the stanza with a bucket from beyond and the arc and Goreham capped a 12-5 surge with a lay-up down low.

Fitchburg State maintained its double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest and closed out a strong non-conference victory making 11 of its final 13 free-throws. For the game, the Falcons shot 47.4%, hitting 27-of-57 attempts and 27-of-31 free-throws. Western New England was hampered by 24 turnovers in the match, while being out-rebounded 37-31 on the afternoon.

Senior Sarah Proper (Coxsackie, N.Y./Coxsackie-Athens) led the Golden Bears offensively, touching for a team-high 16 points and five rebounds, while sophomore Kate Eckert (Lee, Mass./Lee) finished with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Sophomore Justine King (Ware, Mass./Ware) also grabbed double figures with 13 points despite the loss.

Fitchburg State (9-0, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Mount Ida College at 7 p.m. Western New England (2-6, 1-1 TCCC) is off until after the break when it hosts Worcester State University on January 5th at 7 p.m.