Fitchburg State Cruises Past Framingham State, 94-81

Five Falcons record double-figures in first MASCAC win of the season

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 14, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team had five players record double figures as it held off Framingham State for a 94-81 victory this afternoon in MASCAC action.

The Falcons took control of the game midway through the first half, using a 15-4 run capped by back-to-back three pointers from sophomore guard Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass./Bedford). With the surge, Fitchburg State broke a 16-16 deadlock and grabbed a 31-20 margin with just less than eight minutes remaining in the half. 

Fitchburg State extended the lead to 14 (45-31) with just over three minutes remaining in the half, but the Rams closed the period strong, posting a 10-2 outburst capped by a Jamie Henderson (Duncanville, Texas) layup in traffic to cut their deficit to just six points at the break (47-41).

In the second half, Framingham State came out gunning, scoring the first six points of the second half to knot the score at 47-47. The two teams traded baskets over the next two minutes but the Falcons took control of the game for good moments later, using a 9-2 run to open a 60-53 lead.

Fitchburg State extended its lead to as many as 15 with 4:30 remaining, but the Rams slowly chipped away, using a Justin Perron (North Attleboro, Mass.) trifecta with 2:24 remaining to cut the Falcon lead to single digits (86-78). Eight points was as close as the Rams would get however, as Fitchburg State scored eight unanswered points to push the lead back to 16 and secure the victory.

Ingram-Rubin led all scorers with a game-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals, while junior Adam Fahey (Auburn, Mass.) finished with 17 on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Junior Brandon Selby (Baltimore, Md./Joppatowne) and classmate Zach Valliere (Douglas, Mass./Douglas) finished with 16 and 15 points respectively. Junior Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) was the fifth Falcon in double-digits with 13.

The Rams were led by sophomore Tyrone Figueroa (Revere, Mass.) who finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 from the field, while junior Rico DePaolis (Watertown, Mass.) added ten points.

Fitchburg State (9-4, 1-1 MASCAC) will be in action again on Tuesday as it hosts Worcester State at 7:30 p.m. Framingham State (6-9, 0-3 MASCAC) will visit Salem State on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.