Fitchburg State Downs Anna Maria, 84-73

Henneberry totals a team-best 24 points in Falcons first win of 2012

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 3, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team received a 24 point effort from junior Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) as the Falcons downed Anna Maria College, 84-73 in non-conference action this evening.

Henneberry led all Falcon scorers, shooting 9-of-16 from the field and 5-of-10 from three point range, while adding three rebounds and a pair of steals on the night. Classmate Adam Fahey (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) and sophomore Mike Ingram Rubin (Boston, Mass./Bedford)  each added 13 points to the mix, while senior Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) chipped in with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

Despite trailing by three points at the end of the first half, Fitchburg State exploded for 52 second half points to earn its eighth victory of the season. The Falcons grabbed their first lead of the second half at the 14:46 mark as Henneberry and Kimber capped a 5-0 run with a pair of field goals and a free-throw.

Both teams traded leads for a long stretch midway through the frame with there being seven lead changes and five ties in the period, but Fitchburg State pulled ahead at the 8:40 mark as Henneberry cashed in with back-to-back treys. The Falcons maintained their two basket advantage for the next five minutes before Henneberry struck again from behind the arc to put Fitchburg State up ten with 3:58 remaining in regulation.

The Falcons closed the contest strong, hitting five of its last six free-throw attempts to seal their eighth win of the year. For the contest, Fitchburg State shot 44.6% from the field, including 48.1% from downtown. The Falcons caused 21 turnovers in the match, while limiting Anna Maria to only 13.8% shooting from beyond the arc.

Anna Maria's Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass./Sabis International) led all scorers, totaling a game-high 33 points and 11 rebounds for the only double-double of the night, while Brad Peterson (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) added 11 points and seven caroms in the loss for the AmCats.

Fitchburg State (8-2, 0-0 MASCAC) is back in action on Saturday as it hosts Bridgewater State University at 3 p.m. Anna Maria (2-6, 2-1 GNAC) will host Nichols College on Thursday at 7 p.m.