Fitchburg State Claws Past MCLA, 101-66

Bosworth (21 points) lead Falcons to key MASCAC victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. –  Junior forward Josh Bosworth paced the Falcons with a team-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, en route to a 101-66 victory over MCLA in Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball action on Wednesday night at the Recreation Center.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 7-9 overall and 2-2 in conference play, while MCLA dips to 2-13 on the season and winless (0-5) in MASCAC action.

Fitchburg State forward Marcos Germosen poured in 19 points with 5 rebounds off the bench, while senior guard Jaleel Bell notched 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 assists. Classmate Mustapha Korma contributed 12 points, seven rebound in the victory

For the Trailblazers junior forward Joe Wiggins registered a team-high 21 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and two steals, while classmate Nolan Bird posted 15 points and six rebounds (four offensive). Junior guard Keiland Cross was also solid for MCLA, notching 14 points, nine points and five assists.

After over three minutes of play without either team able to buy a basket, MCLA took the first lead 2-0 with a hoop from Cross. Fitchburg broke a 2-2 tie with a 10-2 run over the next five minutes of action to post a 12-4 margin on the scoreboard.

Sophomore Nicholas Tracy had an offensive rebound put back and scored a fast break bucket to begin the next spurt and a Bell layup at 12:22 gave the Falcons a 16-8 lead.

MCLA countered with a 7-2 run, including five points from Nolan Bird to cut the deficit to one (22-21) with 5:53 remaining in the first frame. The Green & Gold withstood the pressure, outscoring the visitors 20-5 down the stretch to carry a 42-26 lead, their largest of the game, into the locker room.

Fitchburg State went on to use that momentum in the second half, outscoring MCLA 20-12 to begin the frame and never looked back as Bell sparked the Falcons offense with seven of his 16 points during the run.

The Falcons extended its margin (87-57) following a 7-2 run on a trey by senior Jordan Almore, while classmate Leonny Burgos and Bosworth added one basket each. MCLA closed out the scoring as junior Merle Darling and newcomer Dahandray Sistrunk knocked down one free throw each, while freshman Felix Bou connected on a layup, resulting in the 101-66 final.

In the contest, MCLA shot 33.3 % (24-for-72) from the floor and 4-of-15 (26.7%) from beyond the arc, while Fitchburg State finished 41-of-79 (51.9%) overall and (3-of-11) 27.3% from three point range.

Fitchburg State welcomes Salem State University to its campus on Saturday for a MASCAC match-up at 1 p.m. MCLA hosts Dean College for a non-conference matchup at 3 p.m.