FITCHBURG, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College basketball team outscored host Fitchburg State in the fourth quarter but the Lyons' comeback bid proved to be too late and not enough in a 63-48 non-conference loss on Saturday afternoon.

Fitchburg State (3-6) attained a game-high 24-point lead with Aliza Som's 3-pointer with 4:19 left in the game.

A layup by senior Cal McGonagle (Yarmouth, Maine) with 3:34 to go began a 9-1 Mount Holyoke run that cut the difference to 15 on sophomore Hannah Goen's (New London, N.H.) three-point play with 1:12 remaining.

The Lyons' ensuing foul was successful with a pair of missed free throws by the Falcons, but their rebound of the second miss led to a layup by Malaica Guillaume that stemmed the Lyons' run. A pair of turnovers in the final minute helped preserve Fitchburg's double-digit lead.

Rylie Harlow led Fitchburg State with 18 points and 11 rebounds, with Kaelynn Tanner adding 15 points.

Lyons sophomore Sofia Francisco (Boston, Mass.) had game- and career-high totals in rebounds (17) and blocked shots (4). Francisco ranks second in the NEWMAC in rebounding average (10.3) and sixth in blocked shots (1.6).

First-year Helena Robinson (Gales Ferry, Conn.) scored a team-high 14 points, while McGonagle and Goen scored nine apiece.

Statistics proved largely even between the teams, with both shooting under 30 percent from the field and the Falcons owning small advantages in rebounds (60-59) and turnovers (19-17). Fitchburg's better success rate from three-point territory proved to be the difference, as the Falcons made 7-27 from deep to Mount Holyoke's 2-28.

Sophomore forward Schuyler Pettibone (Raleigh, N.C.) made her basketball debut for the Lyons after missing the first few games with a soccer injury. Pettibone played six minutes and collected three rebounds and a steal.

Mount Holyoke (0-9) returns home Tuesday at 7pm against Lesley University, in the Lyons' final game before January.