Westfield State Sneaks Past Fitchburg State, 57-55

Berk sparks Falcons with career-best 16 points in MASCAC nail-biter

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 25, 2011) – Junior Kyle Berk (Putnam Valley, N.Y./John Jay) registered a career-best 16 points to lead Fitchburg State but the Falcons fell to Westfield State University, 57-55 in MASCAC men's basketball action this evening.

In true nail-biter fashion, Berk sparked Fitchburg State's seven point comeback with just under 1:30 remaining in the game as the junior guard drained back-to-back three pointers to knot the score at 55-55 with three seconds remaining in regulation. The Falcons rally was short-lived however as Westfield State took the ensuing in-bound pass the length of the court and hit senior Chris Jurkowski (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) for the game-winning lay-up as time expired.

With the victory, Westfield State improves to 6-12 on the season with a 2-3 mark in the MASCAC, while Fitchburg State falls to 3-13 overall and 0-5 in conference play.

On the night, Westfield State received a solid offensive output from sophomore Matt Devine (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) who finished the contest with a double-double. Devine led all scorers, totaling 20 points and 12 rebounds, while also adding three assists and three blocks. Junior Marcellus Lee (Quincy, Mass./Quincy North) and freshman Andrew Morgan (Somerset, N.J./St. Joseph) finished the contest with nine points apiece, while Jurkowski added five points and six caroms.

Fitchburg State used a strong bench outing over the course of the contest as Berk and junior Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) combined for 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Berk led all Falcons with a team-best 16 points, hitting 4-of-8 from downtown, while Kimber tallied 11 points, six boards and five assists. Senior Robert Hopkins (East Hartford, Conn./RHAM) chipped in five points and a team-best nine rebounds.

Westfield State opened the contest strong, posting an 8-0 run in the opening 4:23 of play, but Fitchburg State rallied back to take a 16-15 advantage at the 6:45 mark. The Falcons used the three-ball to inch back into the contest with treys hit by Berk and Kimber, but Westfield State turned to its big-men down the stretch to post a 24-23 lead at the break.

In the second half, Westfield State came out gunning again, holding a nine point margin (36-27) by the 15:36 mark, but Fitchburg State began to chip away at the Owl lead, coming within two points after a put-back lay-up from Kimber at the midway point. After several minutes of back-and-forth action, Westfield State extend its lead to six with a lay-up by Eugene Turner (Lynn, Mass./Lynn English) and free-throw by Morgan, but Berk's heroics down the stretch kept the Falcons in the contest.

Fitchburg State shot strong in the second half, hitting 41.4% from the field, while Westfield State was held scoreless from three point range and finished the game just 1-of-11 from beyond the arc. The Falcons controlled the glass with a 53-42 advantage on the boards, while also totaling 20 points in the paint.

Fitchburg State (3-13, 0-5 MASCAC) will travel to Framingham State University on Saturday at 3 p.m.. Westfield State (6-12, 2-3 MASCAC) will host Bridgewater State University on Saturday at 3 p.m.

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Westfield State 57, Fitchburg State 55