FITCHBURG, Mass. – Junior Brianna Carroll (Douglas, Mass.) led three student-athletes in double figures with 19 points as the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's basketball team kicked off the 2023-2024 season with a 62-47 win over Fitchburg State in non-conference action Wednesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A pair of Carroll free throws with 6:36 left in the opening frame knotted the score at 4-all  before Fitchburg State eventually took a 9-8 lead  on a senior Olivia Almeida (Wilmington, Mass.) three with 4:22 left. The Falcons upped their lead to as many as four on a pair of occasions before a three pointer from junior Stephanie Hart (Shirley, Mass.) made a layup with five seconds left, giving the Falconsd an 18-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
• Back-to-back layups from sophomore Tita Rana (Boston, Mass.) pulled the Leopards to within a pair early in the second quarter. Rana's four straight points started an 8-2 run, with junior Maddy Foster (Lewiston, Maine) tying the game on a layup with 6:16 left. An 8-3 spurt by the hosts gave Fitchburg State a 28-23 lead, however, Carroll answered with a three with 47 seconds left in the half, pulling Wentworth within a pair at the break.
• The Leopards came out on fire to start the second half with Carroll hitting two from behind the arc and sophomore Reagan Madonia (Corrales, N.M.) making a layup, giving the Black & Gold a 34-28 lead with 7:50 left. Wentworth extended its lead to as many as 11 with 1:32 left after Carroll made one of two free throws and a junior Gabby Amoddio (Wethersfield, Conn.) jumper with seven seconds left made it 48-38.
• A 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter pushed Wentworth's lead to 22 (60-38) after Madonia made a jumper. During the run Amoddio scored eight of her team's 12 points. The Falcons were held scoreless during a stretch of 2:13 late in the game, allowing Wentworth to claim the victory.
• In addition to Carroll's 19, Amoddio had 14 and Madonia – in her Leopard debut – added 12. Foster scored nine points and dished out six assists. As a team, Wentworth shot just under 50 percent from the floor and held the Falcons to 36.4 percent.

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight was the first time the two teams have squared off in nearly 22 years. The series is now even at 3-all.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is at Elms on Saturday.

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