Devils turn back Nazareth
Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136
CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Dept.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Women's basketball
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Fredonia State improved to 2-0 with a 68-61 home victory over Nazareth College.
Senior forward Angela Pucciarelli (Fredonia) led a trio of Blue Devils in double figures with 25 points, 17 of them in the first half.
Junior forward Merissa Gaeta (Kirkwood/Windsor) had 15 of her 17 in the second half, and grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds. Junior forward Katie Landy (Jamestown/Southwestern) added 15 points and nine rebounds. The Blue Devils had a 41-24 rebounding advantage.
Brittany Wilson (Fairport) had 18 points and Lizzie Barlow (Cazenovia) added 17 for Nazareth.
Down 28-27 at halftime, the Blue Devils took the lead on a pair of free throws by Gaeta in the opening seconds of the second half. They never trailed again, although Narareth made a pair of runs later in the half. First, the Blue Devils built a lead of eight points, only to see the Golden Flyers trim the lead to 49-48 on a three-point basket by Rachel Pirozzolo (Elmira). A rebound and a basket by Landy and baskets by Gaeta and Pucciarelli were the start of a 10-2 run, which also included a three-point basket by senior guard Leisel Renaud (Brooklyn/Humanities) and a free throw by senior guard Jenny Brewer (Olean).
Nazareth cut the Fredonia State lead back down to one possession, 64-61, with 30 seconds left on a three-point play by Wilson. Pucciarelli put the game away by making four straight free throws.
The Blue Devils are back in action Friday against Mount Union in the first round of the National City Tip-Off Tournament at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., at 8 p.m. Allegheny meets Waynesburg in the 6 p.m. game.