Falcons Collect 78-67 Triumph Over Spartans

Fitchburg, Mass. – The Fitchburg State Men's Basketball team earned a 78-67 victory over the Spartans of Castleton University this evening in non-conference action from the Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 78, Castleton 67

Fitchburg State (2-8, 0-0 MASCAC) I Castleton (5-5, 0-1 LEC)

How It Happened

1st half

Fitchburg State raced out to an early 6-2 edge as junior Quincy Taylor (Boston, Mass.) hit a layup and sophomore Javon Taylor (Cambridge, Mass.) added a three pointer before Castleton answered with a Darrell Hardge (Miami, Fla.) layup to cut the lead to 8-6.

The Falcons went on an 8-0 run, capped by a Nathaniel Semedo (Bridgewater, Mass.) layup for the 17-6 edge, but the Spartans responded with a 10-0 stretch as freshman Johnny Torrence (Lakeland, Fla.) connected on a pair of three balls to make score 25-21.

Castleton would trim the lead to 29-26 on a Remy Brown (Boca Raton, Fla.) three-pointer before sophomore Trevian Hinson (Tampa, Fla.) sank a pair from the charity stripe to give the Falcons a 33-29 edge. The two teams would trade buckets at the end of the half with freshman Alex Blackmore (Wellington, New Zealand) connecting for the Spartans, while sophomore Kerns Monvilus (Coral Springs, Fla.) knocking down the bucket for the Falcons to give the hosts a 40-34 margin going into the break.

2nd Half

Following the intermission, Fitchburg State extended its lead to 44-36 on a Q. Taylor bucket, but Castleton responded with a 9-0 run, capped by a Blackmore free throw as the Spartans grabbed a 45-44 advantage.

The Green and Gold took the lead back (54-53 on a Dominik Williams (Newark, N.J.) jumper before the Spartans answered with a three-ball from senior Eric Shaw (Sutter Creek, Calif.) for the 56-54 edge.

The hosts regained the lead for good, going on a 12-0 stretch with Monvilus draining a three-pointer at the end of the run to give the Falcons a 66-56 lead. Castleton cut the lead to 73-64 following a Josh Germain (Mechanicville, N.Y.) three ball, but the Falcons secured the victory on back-to-back baskets from Williams, resulting in the 78-67 final.

Inside the Numbers

• Falcons were led Q. Taylor with a double-double of 20 points and 12 caroms to go along with two assists
• J. Taylor chipped in with a double-double of 15 points and ten boards as well as five assists and three steals
• For the Spartans, Brown finished with 13 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal
• Hardge added 12 points, three caroms, five assists and one steal
• 12th meeting between the two teams on the hardwood with the Falcons 8-4 all-time against the Spartans
• Fitchburg State shot 28-for-63 (45.9%) from the field and (3-of-15) 20.0%% from three point range
• Castleton finished 24-of-71 (33.8%) overall and (12-for-45) 26.7% for beyond the arc
• Falcons held a 54-36 margin on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Thursday, December 30th as they take on the Chargers of Colby-Sawyer College in first round action of the Trinity Holiday Tournament, starting at 7:00 PM. Spartans will host the Huskies of Southern Maine on Saturday in Little East Conference action at 3:00 PM.