Falcons Clipped by Worcester State, 58-56
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Worcester St. (5-18, 2-8) | 27 | 31 | 58 |
|
Fitchburg St. (14-9, 6-4) | 26 | 30 | 56 |
Lee records fifth double-double in MASCAC heartbreaker
FITCHBURG, Mass. - In a closely contested second half, Worcester State was able to secure a 58-56 victory over Fitchburg State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball tilt, as the Lancers hit 8-10 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of play.
With the loss, the Falcons fall to 14-10 (6-5 MASCAC), while the Lancers improve to 6-18 overall and 4-8 in league play. With the win, Worcester State completes a two game sweep against their Sterling Cup rival in the season series.
Trailing by two points with 34 seconds remaining after a pair of Brendon Rios free throws the Falcons tied the contest on a fade away jumper by junior forward Kwame Lee. The visitors regained the lead for good on free throws from senior guard Charles Gunter and junior Manny Cabral.
With eight seconds on the clock Fitchburg State's Keyon Armstrong drove to the court, only to have his last second layup roll in and out of the rim as the Lancers held on for the slim victory.
In the opening half Worcester State jumped out to a game-high 10 point margin with 8:33 remaining in the stanza on a pair of free throws from Gunter. The Green & Gold responded with a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to two (21-19) with five minutes remaining in the half - keyed by six points by sophomore forward Jalen Williams off the bench.
The second half was a back and forth affair, with five lead changes and neither team holding more than a eight point advantage. The Falcons led by eight on two occasions, sparked by a 9-4 run in the opening four minutes of the closing period.
Lee paced the Fitchburg State offensive charge scoring 17 of his 19 points in the second half, while adding 11 caroms for the double-double. Junior forward Givaughn Jones and Williams chipped in with eight points apiece, while combining for 14 boards in the loss.
The Fitchburg State men's and women's basketball teams hosted its seventh annual Play4Kay game this evening, raising over $300 to be donated to the WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with the Jimmy V Foundation.
Fitchburg State will be back on the hardwood on Saturday as they host the Owls of Westfield State at 3:00 pm to conclude the regular season schedule. Worcester State will also be back in action on Saturday against Framingham State at 7:00 pm.