Worcester State Locks Down Fitchburg State, 72-65

Fahey and Henneberry guide Falcons despite second MASCAC loss of the year

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 17, 2012) – Worcester State received a 21 point effort from sophomore Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MO/Normandy) to top Fitchburg State University, 72-65 in MASCAC men's basketball action at the Recreation Center.

Hunter turned in a double-double- effort for the Lancers, adding 15 boards to his 21 points, while Mike Gittens (Uncasville, Conn./Montville) also added a double-double with 19 points and ten caroms on the evening. Kyle Ferreira (Westport, Mass./Diman Regional) also cracked double-digits for Worcester State, capping the top three scorers with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Junior Adam Fahey (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) led the Fitchburg State attack with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds, while classmate Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) added 12 points. Senior Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) was also solid with eight points and six boards.

The first half was a close knit affair with neither team grabbing more than a two basket lead throughout the period. The Lancers held a six point advantage (27-21) with just 1:48 remaining in the period, but a 5-0 surge by the Falcons cut the Worcester State lead to only one (27-26) at intermission. Sophomore Mike Ingram Rubin (Boston, Mass./Bedford) sparked the Falcons rally with a bucket from beyond the arc, while Fahey brought the Falcons within one with 0:36 remaining.

In the second half, Fitchburg State continued its momentum, opening a five point advantage just three minutes in, but Worcester State responded with a 9-4 span to knot the score (38-38) by the 12 minute mark. The Lancers strung together another run, sparked by a Gittens three, to claim a 45-41 margin, but the Falcons battled back, bringing their deficit to only one on several occasions.

Down the stretch, Worcester State sealed the deal as Gittens connected for five straight points, including a three ball at the 5:24 mark. The Lancers maintained their three basket lead over the final minutes of play, going up by as many as 14 points on key free throw shooting from Hunter, Jason Rivard (E. Bridgewater, Mass./E. Bridgewater) and Jake Ratcliffe (Northbridge, Mass./Northbridge) to clinch the win.

For the contest, Worcester State limited Fitchburg State to only 28.2% shooting from the field, and only 20.0% shooting from three-point range. The Lancers were solid beyond the arc, hitting 41.2% from long range, including Gittens who finished 3-of-8 from downtown.

Fitchburg State (9-5, 1-2 MASCAC) will be in action again on Thursday as it travels to Salem State at 7:30 p.m. Worcester State (6-8, 3-1 MASCAC) will host Bridgewater State on Thursday at 8 p.m.