Becker Nips Fitchburg State, 68-67

Selby sparks Falcons with 7-of-11 shooting and 19 points off the bench

LEICESTER, Mass. (November 29, 2012) – Junior guard Tyler Roberson (Irvington, N.J.) and sophomore guard Lee Brockett (Waterbury, Conn.) each scored 19 points and junior guard Mike Russell (East Hampton, N.Y.) hit the go-ahead free throw with 4.8 seconds remaining as host Becker College escaped with a 68-67 win over visiting Fitchburg State University in non-conference men's basketball action this evening.

Brockett finished the contest, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor with four rebounds and two steals, while Roberson went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc with a team-high three steals. Russell finished with six points, six rebounds and six assists, while sophomore forward Yahmad Rountree (Waterbury, Conn.) pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds.   

Senior forward Brandon Selby (Baltimore, Md./Joppatowne) came off the bench to shoot 7-of-11 with 19 points with six boards for the Falcons. Senior forward Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) contributed 11 points with eight rebounds while junior guard Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass./Bedford) also had 11. Senior center Zach Valliere (Douglas, Mass./Douglas) had a game-high 12 rebounds.

Both teams traded the lead back and forth throughout much of the first half, often separated by only a point. Becker finally used a 9-1 run to open up a seven point lead at 24-17 late in the first half, with five of those points coming from Roberson. The Hawks extended their lead to as much as ten only to watch the Falcons pull to within five at the half on a last-second layup by Henneberry at the buzzer, 34-29

Opening the half with two quick baskets including a three-point play by Ingram-Rubin, Fitchburg State tied the game just 1:22 into the second half. The Falcons took their first lead of the game on a pair of Ingram-Rubin free throws to put the visitors up 38-37, but the Hawks rallied with back-to-back threes by Brockett and Roberson, followed by a fast-break layup from Russell to go up 47-40 with 13:18 left.

Fitchburg State again chipped away at the Becker lead, finally tying the game at 58-58 on a three by Selby with 7:48 remaining in the game. It was part of a 13-4 run for the Falcons that saw them regain the lead at 62-60. The Hawks regained the lead on a three-pointer by Russell followed by a fast-break layup from Brockett with the clock showing 4:23.

The staunch Becker defense held the Falcons without a field goal for 5:40, but free throws kept the game close and Selby hit a running layup with 33 seconds left to tie the game at 67-67. With the shot clock off, the Hawks turned to Russell who drove into the lane and drew the foul with 4.8 seconds remaining. Russell made one-of-two, and Fitchburg State drove the court but couldn't get a running layup to fall at the buzzer. 

Fitchburg State (3-2, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Tuesday night as it travels to Mount Ida College at 7 p.m. Becker (2-3, 0-0 NECC) will host Brandeis on Saturday at 3 p.m.