Womens Basketball Defeats Fitchburg State for Their First Win of the Season

FITCHBURG, Mass. - The Elms College Women's Basketball hit the road as they faced off against Fitchburg State University in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 86 | Fitchburg State University 81
Records: Blazers 1-1, 0-0 (GNAC) | Falcons 1-2, 0-0 (MASCAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The non-conference matchup would begin with a layup by graduate guard Rahmia Johnston (Newtown, Conn.), a quick three-point shot by Fitchburg State, and a jump shot by sophomore guard Jade Lewis (Orlando, Fla.) in the opening minute of play. The two sides would trade possession until the Falcons took the lead offensively, 8-4, but after three made free throw attempts by Johnston, the Blazers would be within one point of tying their intrastate foe. The contest would continue as both sides would once again trade possession of the ball, trying to capitalize on their opponents failures, but would be unsuccessful, until a three-point shot by Lewis would give Elms a 10-9 lead, but that would be followed by a successful layup attempt by FSU to regain the lead 11-10. As Fitchburg State began to add to their lead, the Blazers would try their best to take back the lead, including a jump shot and layup by junior forward Jenny Gorski (Vernon, Conn.), but the Falcons would maintain the lead 15-14 going into the second quarter. The next quarter would start with a different narrative, after first year forward/center Mary Turco (Winthrop, Mass.) made three successful layup attempts, including a three-point play in the second minute of the quarter, giving Elms a 21-15 lead. FSU would make their attempts to cut down the differential, but two jump shots from Lewis, another layup by Turco, and a three-pointer from first year guard Autumn Koch (Goldsboro, Penn.) would extend the Blazers lead further to 30-25. After multiple successful free throw attempts from both sides, Fitchburg State had trimmed the Elms lead to two points, but a three-point play by junior guard Kelly LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) and a layup from Johnston would give the Blazers the 40-36 advantage going into the halftime break.

Turco would record a layup during the first possession of the half, but the Falcons would quickly respond by tying the game after recording two three-point shots 42-42. The two sides would trade offensive possession, but a three-pointer by Lewis and two layups from Turco, including another three-point play, would help Elms extend their lead to 53-46. Groski would record a layup, but the Falcons would then create some pressure on the Blazers, tying the game and neither team scoring until there was less than two minutes on the board. FSU would capitalize late in the third quarter, forcing Elms to take shots from the free throw line, instead of taking shots from the field, as they would go into the break with a 62-59. The fourth quarter would once again see a layup by Turco, followed by back-to-back layups from Lewis and Turco, but Fitchburg State would hold their lead by a pair of layups of their own. The two intrastate foes would once again battle for the lead, including a near-two minute span of tie, where neither side could score, until the Blazers would see three made free throw attempts by junior guard Piper Graham (Lancaster, Penn.) and sophomore guard/forward Shea Barron (Wallingford, Conn.) to gain a 72-69 lead. The Falcons would bring the score to within a point, following a pair of free throw attempts of their own, until Johnston would find an open Lewis to drain a three-point shot to extend their lead. Minutes later, Elms would see further offensive progressive after junior forward/center Talia Uribe (South Hadley, Mass.) would assist Lewis with another three-pointer and a pair of layups by Turco and Barron, to extend the lead 83-75. FSU would try to regain the lead, but the Blazers would be successful in holding them at an arms' length distance to capture their first win of the 2024-2025 season by a score of 86-81.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Turco - 27 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

• Lewis - 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

• Johnston - 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

• Uribe - five rebounds, four points, two steals, and an assist.

• Gorski - six points, two rebounds, and a steal.

• LeBel - five points and a rebound.

• Barron - four points and four rebounds.

UP NEXT: The Elms College Women's Basketball team will travel to Wentworth Institute of Technology in a non-conference game on Monday, November 18th at 6 pm.

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