MILTON, Mass. – In opening round action of the Curry College Tip-Off Tournament, the Colonels fell to Fitchburg State, 73-65, while UMass Dartmouth was edged by Maine Maritime, 57-55.

FITCHBURG STATE 73, CURRY 65

After three lead changes, sophomore Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) sank a pair from the charity stripe with 8:13 remaining in the first half to give the Falcons a 12-11 lead that they would never surrender. Sophomore Meaghan Secino (Leominster, Mass.) hit a three-pointer with two seconds left in the first period to give Fitchburg a 32-20 edge at intermission.

Another pair of Fahey free throws gave the Falcons their biggest lead of the game (57-42) with 7:49 remaining in regulation. Curry responded with a 14-2 run over the next three minutes that was capped off with a layup by freshman Kylie Beltz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) that cut the deficit to three (59-56). Fitchburg then went on to score 14 of the game’s final 23 points.

Fahey recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Secino contributed 20 points, while sophomore Madison Marek (New Ipswich, N.H.) scored 11. Senior Rebecca Goreham (Quincy, Mass.) pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Colonels were led by junior Hailey Rafferty (Worcester, Mass.) with a game-high 24 points. She also pulled down team-high 11 rebounds. Beltz chipped in with 10 points.

Curry plays UMD in the Curry Tip-Off Tournament consolation game at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow, while Maine Maritime faces-off against the Falcons at 3:00 p.m.

Game Statistics