Worcester State Explodes Past Fitchburg State, 70-53

Muccioli nets 11 in Falcons MASCAC setback to Lancers

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 25, 2014) – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team fell victim to a strong second half surge, falling to the visiting Lancers of Worcester State, 70-53 in MASCAC action this afternoon.

Worcester State had three players registered double figures with junior Brendan Rios (Easthampton, N.Y.) leading the way. Rios finished 6-of-8 from the field for 20 points on the afternoon, while freshman Noris Cuevas-Nova (Amherst, Mass.) added 15 points to the mix. Senior Dane Jobst (Athol, Mass.) rounded out the Lancers attack with a double-double of 12 points and 18 boards.

For the Falcons, senior Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass.) turned in 18 points with 8-of-18 shooting from the floor, while sophomore Anthony Muccioli (Nashua, N.H.) added 11 points and four assists.

Fitchburg State snagged an eight point advantage at the break, using a 13 point first half effort from Ingram-Rubin. The Falcons jumped out to an early nine point lead (11-2), using seven points from Ingram-Rubin, a bucket from Muccioli and a lay-up from Mo Molin (Brockton, Mass.) before Worcester State closed its gap to six with back-to-back scores from Marquez McKreith-Collins (Springfield, Mass.).

The Falcons maintained a two to three bucket advantage through much of the first period and Fitchburg State closed the half strong as freshman Joshua Ferreira (N. Dighton, Mass.) hit a jumper as time expired. Muccioli was strong in the first half for the Falcons with seven points, three boards and three assists, while McKreith-Collins led the Lancers with six points on 2-of-2 shooting.

The second half was a different story however as Worcester State outscored Fitchburg State, 48-23 en route to a 17 point victory. The Lancers opened the period on fire, posting 16-1 run to take a five point lead at the 15:27 mark. Cuevas-Nova and Rios found their mark beyond the arc, combining for four three's in the surge, while Jobst added a lay-up down low.

The Lancers continued to pile on the points using an 8-2 surge midway through the period and a 15-4 run over the final minutes to bring their lead over the 20 point mark. Rios and Nova combined for 31 points in the second half for Worcester State, while Jobst added eight points and nine boards.

For the game, Worcester State dominated the glass, holding a 42-27 margin in rebounds. Fitchburg State shot a respectable 40.7% from the field, but the Lancers turned in a 27-of-52 performance (51.9%) to earn their fifth victory of the season.

Fitchburg State will be back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Westfield State at 7:30 p.m.