Fahey drops 21 points and eight boards in Falcons season-opener
FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 15, 2011) – Sophomore Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) registered a game-high 21 points to lead the Fitchburg State women's basketball team to a 56-44 season-opening victory over Clark University this evening.
Clark grabbed the early advantage after one half of play, posting a 20-16 margin at the break, but Fitchburg State rallied in the second half, outscoring the Cougars 40-24 in the frame to post the non-conference victory. The Falcons opened the second period with a strong 11-2 run, using three buckets from Fahey and two hoops from sophomore Madison Marek (New Ipswich, N.H./Saint Bernards) to post a 27-22 advantage at the 16:30 mark.
The Cougars answered with a three pointer from sophomore Emily Reilly (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) on their next possession to bring the deficit to only two (27-25), but that's as close as Clark would come as Fitchburg State responded with a 10-2 run at 12:19 to take a commanding ten point lead. Newcomer Meaghan Secino (Leominster, Mass./Saint Bernards) sparked the Falcons second surge with a pair of three pointers, while Fahey added four points in the paint with a lay-up and a pair of free-throws.
For the contest, Fahey led all scorers, hitting 7-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free throw line, while Secino added 17 points on the night with 4-of-11 shooting from downtown. Reilly and sophomore Megan Grondin (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) led Clark offensively, totaling 12 points apiece.
Despite shooting just 15.4% in the first, Fitchburg State got back on track, hitting 13-of-28 in the second half, including 3-of-6 from downtown. The Falcons took advantage of 49 Clark turnovers, using 22 steals for 31 points off takeaways.
Fitchburg State (1-0, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Friday as it participates in the Curry College Tournament with a game slated for 7:30 p.m. Clark (0-1, 0-0 NEWMAC) will battle Colby Sawyer in the Brandeis Invitational on Saturday at 7 p.m.