Fitchburg State Slips Past Framingham State, 71-68

Ingram Rubin knocks down game-winning three to give Falcons second MASCAC victory

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (February 4, 2014) – Senior guard Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass.) nailed a three with 16.8 seconds remaining in the game to lift the Fitchburg State University men's basketball team to a 71-68 road victory over the Framingham State University Rams this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Recreation Center.  

With the victory, the Falcons improve to 2-16 on the season and 2-6 in the conference, while the Rams dip to 7-13 overall and are an identical 2-6 in the MASCAC.

Ingram-Rubin led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from long range including the game-winner.  Ingram-Rubin filled the stat sheet with seven boards, six assists and a pair of steals.  Sophomore Anthony Muccioli (Nashua, NH) chipped in with 16 points for the visitors on 7-of-11 from the field to go along with five boards.

The Rams were led by the duo of juniors Patrick Cuff (Medway, Mass.) and Ronnie DeBarros (New Bedford, Mass.) who tallied a team-best 14 points apiece. Cuff, who connected on 7-of-14 from the floor, recorded his second double double of the season as he grabbed a game-high 13 boards including 10 on the offensive glass.  Junior George Jordan (Worcester, Mass.) was the only other Ram to record double figures as he finished with 12 points and six caroms.

The Rams led 36-31 at the half and used a 13-5 run fueled by seven points from Jordan to open the second half.  The spurt gave the Rams the game's largest lead at 49-36 with 15:34 on the clock.

The Falcons countered with a 17-2 run of their own over the next six minutes to take their first lead, 53-51, since they led 2-0 to start the game.  Ingram-Rubin tallied eight points on the run including a three point play to cap the outburst as he made a steal at midcourt, converted the lay-in and was fouled.

The two teams would trade the lead three times and the score would be tied on four occasions over the final nine minutes of action.  The Falcons led 66-62 on a Muccioli jumper, but the Rams answered with a DeBarros jumper and a pair of free throws from freshman Charles Collins (Lynn, Mass.) to tie the game with 1:39 remaining. 

Ingram-Rubin hit Muccioli in the paint for a lay-up in traffic to put the visitors back on top, 68-66.  After a timeout, Jordan was fouled after rebounding his own miss and sank a pair from the line to knot the game with 39.4 on the clock.

Freshman guard Josh Ferreira (N. Dighton, Mass.) drove the lane and was blocked by Cuff with 20 seconds remaining.  Ferreira was able to grab the loose ball and found Ingram-Rubin alone behind the arc for the game winner with 16.8 on the clock.  The Rams called timeout and had a chance at the equalizer but DeBarros' attempt hit the rim as time expired.

The Rams out-rebounded the Falcons 47-35 in the game including a 29-10 edge on the offensive glass that led to a 34-8 advantage in second chance points.  The Falcons shot 49% from the floor for the game, while the Rams connected on just 33% of their offerings.

The Rams return to action on Saturday with a MASCAC game at Bridgewater State University with tipoff slated for 3:30 p.m., while the Falcons travel to UMass Boston for a non-conference game on Thursday evening beginning at 7 p.m.