Box Score

FITCHBURG, MA –  No. 3 Fitchburg State College turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 78-66 victory over No. 7 Nichols College behind 21 points and 13 rebounds from junior forward Steph Payette (Townsend, MA/North Middlesex) in the semifinals of the ECAC Division III New England Tournament Saturday afternoon at Fitchburg State's Recreation Center. The Bison end an outstanding season with a 21-8 overall mark, which ties the school record for wins.

 The Falcons (20-8) will advance to the ECAC final where they will meet top-seeded Coast Guard, which defeated Endicott College in the other semifinal matchup. The Bears and Falcons will tipoff Sunday at 1:00 pm. Coast Guard owns a record of 24-5.

FSC got strong play off the bench from sophomore guard Michelle Ridge (Milton, MA/Milton) and freshman guard Kim Duprey (Bernardston, MA/Pioneer Valley). The backcourt tandem combined for 25 points with Ridge pouring in 18 points, including 4-of-10 from three-point land, and 13 points from Duprey.

The Bison got 18 points, nine rebounds and eight steals from sophomore guard Curtia Humbert (Bridgeport, CT/Bridgeport). Sophomore forward Margaret Lilly (Ashfield, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) and freshman guard Jessica Nelson (North Providence, RI/North Providence) each put home 11 points in the loss. Nelson added eight rebounds in the game.

Both teams shot the ball well as Fitchburg was 40.3 percent from the field and Nichols was 36.7 from the field, but the Falcons owned a slim 43-40 edge on the glass and was 10-30 from beyond the arc while the Bison were 5-of-19 from long range.

The Falcons jumped out to an early 18-9 advantage with 12:55 to play in the first half, but Nichols embarked on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 18-18 just over two minutes later. The teams went back and forth for the remainder of the half and Nichols owned a slim 38-37 cushion at the half.

Nichols opened the second half with the same intensity it closed the first and led by as many as eight points (45-37) with 17:50 to play in second half. However, Fitchburg went on a 14-6 run to take the lead at 60-54 with 8:34 remaining and never relinquished the lead again.

Release courtesy of Fitchburg State Sports Information