Fitchburg, MA --- Fitchburg State senior Megan Jacobs (Stoughton, MA) tallied 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks as she helped lead the Falcons to a 48-45 triumph this evening over Worcester State in MASCAC women's basketball action.
FSU (9-9, 3-4 MASCAC) would win the contest after they erased a deficit that was as large as 12 points five minutes into the second period.
The Blue and Gold (10-9, 4-3 MASCAC) led 37-29 with 12:23 remaining before the hosts took advantage of 10 missed shots from the field (seven three-pointers). FSU would slowly chip away at the deficit with a 16-2 spurt over the next 10 minutes to take a 45-39 edge at the 3:17 mark.
As Fitchburg State led 47-41 with 90 seconds left in regulation the Lancers, got to within two (47-45) on a pair of free throws by freshman Meaghan Burns (E. Brookfield, MA) and a lay-up off by sophomore Meaghan O'Keefe (Warren, MA).
Following consecutive timeouts by FSU, Worcester State had a golden opportunity to knot the score when O'Keefe blocked a three-pointer by senior Kim Duprey (Bernardston, MA) and a Falcon foul would send sophomore Kara Rogers (Lowell, MA) to the charity stripe. But Rogers would miss both of her attempts from the line before Jacobs put Fitchburg State up 48-45 on the back end of a double-bonus attempt.
The Lancers tried to then equalize the score again at the buzzer, but Rogers' trey missed the mark as Fitchburg State snapped a three-game skid for the win.
It was close throughout the opening period as WSU used a large run to end the opening frame. The Blue and Gold led 11-8 with 6:23 to go before the visitors doubled up the Falcons 12-6 to close out the period with the 23-14 advantage.
Fitchburg State held a commanding 52-29 edge in the rebounding column which included a 19-8 lead in offensive caroms. The game was tightly contested as neither team shot over 30 percent for the contest while both teams forced each other to make 20 times.
FSU outscored Worcester State 34-22 in the second period alone. The Lancers struggled from the three-point line as they connected for just four of their 22 attempts.
Duprey helped lead Fitchburg State with 11 points while senior Melissa Proffitt (Hubbardston, MA) and classmate Kelly Rogers (Lowell, MA) each chipped in with eight points and seven boards apiece.
The Lancers were paced by senior Alexis George (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) who led all scorers with 13 points as O'Keefe finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Rogers came up with six points, eight caroms and four steals off the bench for WSU.
George is now 28 points away from the 1,000 point milestone.
Both teams return to MASCAC play on Saturday afternoon. Worcester State heads to Framingham State for a 3:30 matchup while the Falcons entertain Bridgewater State at 1 PM.