Third-seeded Trailblazers advance to MASCAC final four at Bridgewater State

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (February 21, 2012) –Third-seeded MCLA registered an 83-76 victory over sixth-seeded Fitchburg State University in MASCAC Women's Basketball quarterfinal action this evening.

With the victory, MCLA (13-12, 6-6 MASCAC) advances to the semifinal round of the MASCAC Tournament and will travel to Bridgewater State for final four action on Friday afternoon. Fitchburg State concludes its season with an overall record of 16-9 and a 4-8 mark in the MASCAC.

On the offensive end, Fitchburg State received another stellar performance from sophomore Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) who led the Falcons with 26 points, while senior Rebecca Goreham (Quincy, Mass./North Quincy) finished with a double-double of ten points and 13 caroms. Sophomore Meghan Secino (Leominster, Mass./Saint Bernards) capped the Falcons top scorers with 14 points, hitting 4-of-8 from downtown.

For MCLA, sophomore Lucy Tremblay (East Greenbush, N.Y./Columbia HS) led the Trailblazer offense, totaling a team-best 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the field and 6-of-12 shooting from long range. Senior Alie Dobrovolc (Little Falls, N.Y/Little Falls) was also strong with 17 points and nine boards while senior Jen Wehner (Cooperstown, N.Y./Cooperstown) added a double-double for 17 points and 13 rebounds.  

Both teams were even at the break, bringing a 36-36 score into the locker rooms. Fitchburg State used a ten point first half from Fahey as the Falcons shot 39.4% (13-for-33) from the field and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Senior Madeline Merchant (Gardner, Mass./Gardner)was also solid for the Falcons with six points off the bench, while MCLA received a solid half from Dobrovolc and Tremblay, who finished with eight points apiece.

In the second, MCLA began to gain momentum, posting a pair of small runs to grab a 58-49 advantage at the midway point. The Trailblazers opened the period with three's from Tremblay and Dobrovolc while stringing together a 10-4 rally with buckets from Katelyn Chenevert (Uxbridge, Mass./Uxbridge, Dobrolovc and Wehner.

Fitchburg State inched closer with five consecutive points from Fahey (60-55), and continued to battle down the stretch coming within four (77-73) following a pair of threes from Secino and Kelsey Johnston (Shirley, Mass./Saint Bernards). The Trailblazers sealed the victory in the closing minutes however, using a three from Tremblay and clutch free-throw shooting from Wehner.

For the contest, Fitchburg State shot 42.9% from the field, while MCLA converted 33 of its 75 attempts from the floor. The Falcons held a slight 43-41 advantage on the boards, but 20-10 turnover margin proved to be the difference for the Green and Gold.