MCLA Edges Fitchburg State, 84-79

Henneberry totals 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting to pace the Falcons

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (January 21, 2012) – The MCLA Men's basketball team rallied from a second half deficit to edge out MASCAC foe Fitchburg State University 84-79 this afternoon in the James T. Amsler Campus Center Gym. 

A back and forth opening twenty minutes saw MCLA jump out to a 13-4 lead after Tyrell Mosley connected from beyond the arc just four minutes into play. Fitchburg State rallied as junior Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) came off the bench and ignited a 19-8 run to give the Falcons their first lead of the half at 23-21. Henneberry tallied 12 points in the spurt, including a pair of three pointers.

After trading scores and knotting the score at 23-23, MCLA strung together a 13-5 run to take a 36-28 lead before the Falcons answered once again. Fitchburg State used a 14-3 run to take a 42-39 lead just seconds before halftime, but  MCLA answered at the buzzer when Ramon Viches knocked down a three to tie the game at intermission.

In the second half, Fitchburg State jumped out to an eight point advantage midway through the frame, using a 6-0 spurt to post a 66-58 margin. MCLA responded on the heels of a 9-2 burst, pulling within one at 68-67 just three minutes later. 

The Falcons battled for most of the half until MCLA eventually took a slim one point advantage on a Jamal Brown layup with 3:13 to play. The teams traded small leads until the game was tied at 78-78 following a Fitchburg State hook shot from junior Zach Valliere (Douglas, Mass./Douglas) with 0:44 left in the game.

Following an MCLA timeout, Mosley banked home an off balance runner on the left wing for a two point lead.  The Trailblazers then clinched the contest down the stretch, draining a pair of free-throws (82-78) as Fitchburg State was forced to foul.

Henneberry led the Falcons attack, totaling a team-best 25 points as he finished 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-9 from behind the arc.  Sophomore Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass./Bedford) had 18 points, while Valliere turned in 12. Senior Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) also filled up the stat sheet, finishing with ten points, six blocks, four assists, and three steals.

Fitchburg State (9-7, 1-4 MASCAC) will be in action again on Tuesday as it travels to Westfield State at 7:30 p.m. MCLA (6-12, 3-2) will host Bridgewater State on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.