Wallingford’s Falcigno Helps Lead Falcons to Record-Setting Victory

NEW HAVEN, CT — Wallingford’s Liz Falcigno, a senior guard on the Albertus Magnus women’s basketball team, helped lead the Falcons to a record-setting victory Tuesday night.

Albertus Magnus set a new program record for points in a 117-91 non-conference victory over Pine Manor at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.

It was the second straight win for the Falcons (5-4), while the Gators (4-5) saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.

Albertus spread the ball around well, registering a season-best 31 assists on 43 converted field goals. The Falcons also held a commanding advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Gators, 57-35.

The tandem of junior forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) and Falcigno combined for 51 points to lead Albertus Magnus offensively. Bolden poured in a game-high 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, while Falcigno finished with a 21-point, 10-rebound performance. Falcigno hit four shots from 3-point range and dished out seven assists.

A season-best six Falcons scored in double figures in the win. Junior guard Kiki Epps (Norwalk, Conn.) had 15 points and sophomore guard Deja Ward (Middletown, Conn.) added 15 points and eight assists off the bench. Sophomore point guard Jill Johnson (North Haven, Conn.) was the other Falcon in double figures with 11 to go along with six assists and three steals.

It was a two-headed attack for Pine Manor as juniors Shaquanda Middleton and Erica Jones accounted for 57 points and 13 assists. Jones scored 31 points thanks to hitting 12 shots from the field, including four from beyond the arc, while Middleton poured in 24 points to go along with nine assists. Freshman forward Nyjayah Gibson and sophomore forward Kristina Giunta were the other Gators in double figures, scoring 10 points apiece.

In the first quarter, Falcigno and Bolden combined for 24 of the Falcons' 33 points as Albertus Magnus raced out to a seven-point edge after 10 minutes. Falcigno poured in the last eight points of the quarter for Albertus Magnus courtesy of hitting a pair of free throws and two 3-pointers.

After the Falcons took a 13-point lead at 33-20 with 90 seconds left, the Gators closed on a 6-0 run to cut it to a single-digit deficit.

The Falcons pulled away midway through the second quarter and closed on a 12-6 run to take a 64-47 advantage into the break.

Albertus forced eight Gator turnovers in the second and hit over 57 percent (12-of-21) of their shots from the field to break open the game. Ward provided a spark for the Falcons off the bench in the second, scoring 10 points and dishing four assists to go along with two steals.

In the second half, both offenses erupted and combined to score 105 points. Albertus Magnus and Pine Manor traded baskets and the Falcons stretched their lead to as many as 30 midway through the fourth quarter following a trio of converted free throws by Epps.