WPI Rallies Past Fitchburg State, 78-75

Davis' three at the buzzer proves to be difference maker in Falcons non-conference setback

FITCHBURG, Mass. (December 8, 2012) – Freshman Aaron Davis' (Marshfield, Mass./Brooks School) three-pointer as time expired proved to be the difference maker as the Engineers of WPI rallied past Fitchburg State University, 78-75 in non-conference men's basketball action this afternoon.

The Engineers erased a 20 point first half deficit, closing the first frame with an 11-0 run and opening the second stanza with the same momentum. WPI trailed by only two (40-38) just 2:39 into the half as Marco Coppola (Watertown, Mass./Watertown) capped a 7-0 rally to open the half, but Fitchburg State extended its lead to nine just seven minutes later as back-to-back buckets by Malcolm Dixon (Brooklyn, N.Y./Canarsie) and a lay-up by Zach Pope (Orlando, Fla./Fisher College) gave the Falcons a 60-51 cushion at the 10:37 mark.

WPI continued to battled, using a three pointer from Zach Karalis (N. Andover, Mass./N. Andover) and lay-up from Ryan Kolb (Southington, Conn./Holy Cross) to close its gap to one (60-59). A pair of free-throw from Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass./Bedford) kept the Falcons up by three with 8:19 to play, but another bucket from Karalis and free-throw from Davis evened the score (64-64) for the Engineers.

Down the stretch, both teams traded leads four times, including a Fitchburg State lead, 73-72 following a pair of Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) free-throws with 2:15 remaining in regulation. The Engineers responded with a three point from Karalis to grab a two point advantage, but a Kimber lay-up with 0:22 remaining knotted the score at 75-75. That set the stages for Davis, who, following a good defensive stand by the Falcons, connected from nearly 22 feet out to sink the game-winner as time expired.

Senior Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) turned in a strong effort for the Falcons, posting a game-best 21 points along with six rebounds, four assists and one steal, while classmate Zach Valliere (Douglas, Mass./Douglas) finished 4-of-4 from the floor for ten points and 15 rebounds. Senior Brandon Selby (Baltimore, Md./Joppatowne) also landed double-figures with 12 points and three steals.

WPI received a strong offensive afternoon from Davis, who hit 4-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-2 from downtown for a 16 point effort, while Coppola and Kolb added 15 points and 13 points respectively.

For the game, Fitchburg State dominated the boards, boasting a 44-24 advantage, while also shooting 50.0% from the field and 7-of-18 from downtown. WPI finished 26-of-56 for the contest, while causing 21 Falcon turnovers.

Fitchburg State (4-3, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Wednesday night as it hosts Daniel Webster College at 7 p.m. WPI (10-0, 0-0 NEWMAC) is off to its best start since the 2005-2006 season and defends its unbeaten record vs. Colby Sawyer on December 30th at 1 p.m.