Late Run Pushes Fitchburg State Past MCLA, 67-52
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
MCLA (4-9, 1-1 MASCAC) | 33 | 19 | 52 |
|
Fitchburg St. (10-3, 2-0 MASCAC) | 28 | 39 | 67 |
Armstrong leads to come from behind win over MCLA
FITCHBURG, Mass. - Fitchburg State went on a 20-0 run midway through the second half to come from behind and defeat Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 67-52, in a MASCAC tilt at the Recreation Center on the campus of FSU on Tuesday night.
The Falcons improve their Massachusetts State Collegiate Conference (MASCAC) record to 3-0 (11-3 overall), while the Trailblazers fall to 4-10 (1-3 MASCAC) on the season.
Trailing by as much as eight points, Fitchburg State went on an astonishing 20-0 run, holding the Trailblazers scoreless for over seven minutes of play, highlighted by a tri of three-pointers from junior guard Keyon Armstrong. MCLA, falling behind by 14 points after the Falcons spurt would cut the deficit to as little as ten points on a pair of occasions, but the Green & Gold defense stood strong for the remaining three minutes of play.
In the opening half MCLA jumped out to as much as nine points on two occasions, while gaining 24 of their points in the paint. In the early going the lead switched sides six times before the visitors took the edge for good going into halftime at the 6:29 mark on a layup by senior guard Ruben Delrosario.
The hosts had three players in double figures, with Armstrong leading the pack with 18 points, going 4-9 (44.4%) from downtown. Classmates Givaughn Jones and Kwame Lee both chipped in with 17 and 14 points respectively, while Lee had a team-leading seven caroms.
MCLA was led by junior forward Khalil Paul with 10 points, while senior forward Todd Hunt was just short of a double-double with nine points and nine boards in the losing effort.
Overall, Fitchburg State shot 40% (22-55) from the floor, while going 8-22 (36.4%) from beyond the arc. MCLA countered by going 20-56 (35.7%) from the hardwood, and 28.6% (4-14) from the perimeter. The Trailblazers held a 42-34 edge in rebounds despite the loss.
Fitchburg State will be back in action at The Rec on Thursday when they play host to Keene State at 7:00 pm. MCLA will return to the court on Saturday as it visits Framingham State at 3:00 pm.
