Springfield Defeats Fitchburg State, 87-76
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (0-1) | 41 | 35 | 76 |
|
Springfield (1-0) | 38 | 49 | 87 |
Four Falcons reached double figures in season opening setback
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University men's basketball team opened its 2015-16 season this evening, dropping an 87-76 decision to Springfield College in opening round action of the 2015 Hampton Inn Tournament, hosted by UMass Dartmouth.
Fitchburg State was paced by senior Anthony Muccioli, who posted a team-leading 14 points, four caroms and a steal, while classmate Givaughn Jones notched 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals. Junior Jalen Williams and sophomore Christian Dunston were also solid for the Falcons, combining for 20 points, three boards, one steal and one assist.
Senior Josh Downes led the way for the Pride, recording a game-best 21 points (6-of-9), six rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block, while junior Alex Garstka registered 20 points, three caroms, five assists, three steals and one block.
Springfield College recorded a stellar 57.1 field goal percentage (31-of-54), including 4-of-12 (33.3%) from beyond the arc. Fitchburg State shot 46.4 percent (32-69), while knocking down 4-of-14 shots from downtown. The Pride controlled the glass, holding a 36-32 advantage in rebounds, while the Falcons finished with a 14-7 margin in second chance points.
A jumper by Lee put the Falcons up 4-2 in the early going, but the Pride answered with 11 straight points to grab the upper hand (13-4) three and half minutes into the contest. Fitchburg State battled back to take a 23-19 lead on a pair of layups by junior Troy DaCosta midway through the first half.
The two team proceed to trade baskets throughout the rest of the half as the Green and Gold proceeded to take a 41-38 advantage into the break on a Dacosta layup at the buzzer.
With the score knotted at 43-43 following a layup and free throw by Downes, Fitchburg State went on a 6-0 run on pair of baskets from Williams and a jumper by sophomore Josh Bosworth to take a 49-43 lead.
Springfield regained the lead for good with 8:35 left in the contest (58-60) on a jump shot by sophomore Steven Young before the Pride secured its first win on the season, going on an 5-0 run, capped by a Larry Piretra layup with 53 seconds remaining, resulting in the 87-76 final.
Fitchburg State (0-1, 0-1 MASCAC) returns to action tomorrow as takes on the either UMass Dartmouth or Mitchell College in the consolation round of the 2015 Hampton Inn Tournament at 4:30 p.m. Springfield (1-0, 0-0 NEWMAC) will battle the UMass Dartmouth/Mitchell College winner in the 2015 Hampton Inn Tourney Championship game tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.