FRANKLIN, Mass.- The Dean College Bulldogs women's basketball team won their second straight game, improving to 4-3 with an 83-70 victory over Fitchburg State in non-conference action on Tuesday. 

In a tightly contested battle, the Bulldogs pulled ahead early in the third quarter and never looked back. Dean trailed by three, 22-19, after the first quarter. The Bulldogs outscored the visitors 19-12 in the second quarter to take a three point lead going into the halftime break. 

Coming out of the second half, the Bulldogs stepped on the gas, ripping off a 14-2 run, capped by an Abi Boutin (Rocky Hill, Conn.) layup, to extend their lead to 52-36. Fitchburg hit a three pointer in the closing seconds of the third to cut the deficit to 58-50 heading into the final frame.

Two minutes into the fourth, a three pointer from senior Alexandria Paquet (Santa Maria, Calif.) pushed the Bulldog advantage back to 11. After a three point play by senior Tori Viau (Johnston, R.I.) the Bulldogs took a 14 point lead with 7:26 to play. Consecutive three pointers from the Falcons' Kaelynn Tanner trimmed the deficit to eight with 3:49 to go. Timely free throw shooting and a fast break layup from Viau pushed the lead back to double-digits and preserved the win for the Bulldogs.

Dean shot 48% from the field to the visitors 31%. The Bulldogs maintained a 14-6 lead in fast break points, and a 40-30 advantage in the paint.

Viau led Dean with 26 points, her fourth game this season with 20 or more points. Paquet recorded her team-best third double-double, scoring 18 points while adding 11 rebounds. Boutin pitched in a season-high 18 points. 

The Bulldogs are back in action on Wednesday December 4th, when they travel to Fisher College for a 7 p.m. tip.