Framingham State Rallies Past Fitchburg State, 65-62

Ingram-Rubin paves the way again for the Falcons with 28 points

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 11, 2014) – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team played host to the Rams of Framingham State University this afternoon, dropping a tough 65-62 MASCAC decision at the Recreation Center.

With the victory, Framingham State improves to 5-8 and 1-1 in the MASCAC, while the Falcons fall to 0-11 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

Freshman Daniel Gould (Quincy, Mass.) led the Framingham State scoring with a team-best 13 points, including 8-of-9 shooting from the charity stripe. Junior Ronnie DeBarros (New Bedford, Mass.) was also solid with 12 points and three rebounds, while junior Patrick Cuff (Medway, Mass.) chipped in with nine points and a team-best ten boards.

Fitchburg State senior Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass.) led all scorers, totaling a game-high 28 points with 10-of-18 shooting from the floor, including 6-of-10 shooting from downtown. Junior Malcolm Dixon (Brooklyn, N.Y.) also added double-figures with 15 points and six caroms.

After a strong first half of play, Fitchburg State carried a four point advantage into the locker room behind a 13 point effort from Dixon. The Falcons opened the contest with an early six point lead (12-6) and later carried that lead to nine with a three from Lincoln Wright (Brockton, Mass.) and free-throw from Ryan Donahue (Dennis, Mass.).

The Rams rallied late in the half though, closing its deficit to two (25-23) behind a 13-6 run. DeBarros aided the run with a three at the 10:25 mark, while back-to-back buckets from George Jordan (Worcester, Mass.) closed the Framingham State surge.

In the second half, Fitchburg State maintained a seven point margin though the 13 minute mark, but Framingham State answered, posting an 8-2 run to inch within one (43-42). The Rams continued their momentum with another 8-4 surge to snag a three point advantage (50-47) following a Gould free-throw at 6:11, but the Falcons responded with seven straight points from Ingram-Rubin to knot the score at 57-57.

Down the stretch, Framingham State took a four point lead with consecutive lay-ups from DeBarros but an Ingram-Rubin three found its mark with just over eight seconds left to bring Fitchburg State within one (73-72). Forced to foul, the Falcons sent Rams guard Joseph McCabe (Canton, Mass.) to the line with seven seconds remaining. The sophomore guard connected on both attempts to put the Rams up three and eventually seal the victory.

For the game, Fitchburg State shot 38.6% from the field, including 8-of-22 from three point range, while Framingham State finished 53.3% from the floor and 5-of-14 from beyond the arc.

Fitchburg State will be back in action on Tuesday as it visits MCLA at 7:30 p.m. Framingham State will host Bridgewater State on Tuesday at 8 p.m.