FITCHBURG STATE ADVANCES TO NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP SECOND ROUND
WITH A 79-60 WIN OVER NORWICH UNIVERSITY

Box score 

GORHAM, ME, March 3, 2007 - Sophomore Steph Payette (Townsend, MA) scored a game-high 18 points to lead four players in double figures as the Fitchburg State College Falcons defeated the Norwich University Cadets 79-60 in a first round game of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Warren Hill Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Southern Maine.  

Fitchburg State, making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, moves into a second round game to face the University of Southern Maine (26-2) on Sunday, March 4 at 2:00 p.m. Southern Maine advanced to the second round with a 68-62 win over Williams.

Fitchburg State improved its record to 26-2.  Norwich finished its season at 24-4.        

Payette converted 7-of-11 shots from the field and all four of her free throws to account for her 18 points.  She also grabbed eight rebounds.        

Other Falcons in double figures were senior Jen Fontaine (Dracut, MA) with 16 points, junior Diana Doyle (Springfield, MA) with 13, and senior D'yana Delpero (Peabody, MA) with 10.  Fontaine shared game-high rebounding honors with Norwich junior Caitlin Bailey (Barre, VT) as each had nine boards.  Fontaine also passed off three assists and made four steals        

Senior Kristi Powlovich (Jericho, VT) led the Cadets with 15 points.  Senior Sarah Chap (Stockbridge, VT) added 14 and freshman Natalie Marchese (Rutland, VT) chipped in 13.

Tied at 9-9 seven minutes into the game, Fitchburg State used a 13-2 run over a five-minute span to take control.  Freshman Michelle Ridge (Milton, MA) ignited the run with a basket, followed by four straight points from Payette.  After a basket by Chap, Payette scored another four points, and Delpero capped off the stretch with a three-pointer to give the Falcons a 22-11 advantage.

The Falcons increased the lead to as many as 15 before the Cadets went on an 8-2 spurt to close within nine (30-21) on a bucket by Powlovich.  The Falcons responded over the final four minutes to take a 37-25 lead into the locker room.

A 12-2 Fitchburg State run early in the second half expanded the margin to 56-32.  Ridge sparked the run with a three-pointer, and Fontaine finished the surge with another three.

Norwich clawed back to within 15 (58-43) with 9:12 to play on the heels of an 11-2 run.  Powlovich (7 points) and Chap (4 points) accounted for the Cadets scoring.  Norwich would get no closer than 14 over the final nine minutes.

Fitchburg State finished the game shooting 41.7 percent (28-of-67) from the field, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from beyond the three-point arc, and converted 15-of-16 free throws.  Norwich shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58), but was hurt by 25 turnovers.