UMass Boston Rallies Past Fitchburg State, 80-59

Knower leads Falcons offensive effort with team-best 11 points and four boards

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 23, 2010) – The UMass Boston basketball team posted a 54 point second half and cruised to a 80-59 victory over Fitchburg State University in non-conference action this evening.

Senior captain Pat Joseph (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) led the Beacon offense, touching for a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Joseph shot 7-of-11 from the floor and was tenacious on the defensive glass with 12 of his 14 boards. Junior Isaac Jenkins (Pordenone, Italy/Savio Prep) was also strong for UMass Boston with a team-high 18 points and five caroms, while sophomore Michael Mitchell Jr. (Boston, Mass./Wayland) added 14 points with 5-of-7 shooting from the field.

Senior center Elliot Knower (Baldwinville, Mass./Narragansett) paced the Fitchburg State attack, totaling a team-best 11 points, four rebounds and four steals, while junior Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) totaled nine with 6-of-12 shooting from the line. Junior Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) and sophomore Adam Fahey (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) chipped in with eight points apiece.

Despite only posting 26 points in the first half, the UMass Boston offense exploded for 54, second half points to collect its second victory of the season. Jenkins led the Beacons second half charge with 18 points in the period, while Mitchell and sophomore Jason White (Roxbury, Mass./Charlestown) each added seven.

Clinging to only a two point lead at the break (26-24), UMass Boston opened the second stanza strong, posting a 10-2 run in the opening minutes. White opened the half with a shot from long range before Joseph and Jenkins followed with a pair of buckets in the paint.

Fitchburg State inched closer however, cutting the Beacon lead to only one, 44-43 at the 10:49 mark. Kimber and Fahey sparked the Falcons off the bench with four consecutive free-throws while Fahey also added a trey from long range.  

Over the final minutes of play, UMass Boston pulled away, using 19-7 run over a five minutes span for a commanding 67-50 lead with 4:25 remaining. Jenkins led the Beacons with two jumpers and five free-throws, while Mitchell added a pair of lay-ups in the paint.

Fitchburg State (1-3, 0-0 MASCAC) will be in action again next Tuesday as it hosts Nichols College at 7:30 p.m. UMass Boston (2-0, 0-0 LEC) will be in action on Friday as it hosts the Harbor Invitational beginning at 5:30 p.m.

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UMass Boston 80, Fitchburg State 59