Fitchburg State Clipped By Mitchell, 86-82
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (0-2) | 39 | 43 | 82 |
|
Mitchell (1-1) | 39 | 47 | 86 |
Lee nets 27 points for Falcons in non-conference setback
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University men's basketball team dropped a tough 86-82 decision to the Mariners of Mitchell College in the consolation round of the 2015 Hampton Inn Tournament this evening, hosted by UMass Dartmouth.
Fitchburg State raced out to an early 8-2 lead as senior forward Kwame Lee scored all eight of the Falcons points just two and half minutes into the opening frame. The Green and Gold added to its lead, going on a 5-2 run on a jumper by senior Givaughn Jones and a basket from newcomer Devan Harris (11-5) with 14:39 remaining in the stanza.
The Mariners took its first lead of the contest with just under eight minutes left in the first half, going on a 14-1 streak, paced by junior Donovan McClean's eight points, while sophomore Frank Martin added six points on a pair of trey's to take a 28-21 advantage.
The Green and Gold battled back, leveling the score at 39-39 going into the break as junior Lance Hill knocked a three pointer with two and half minutes remaining before Christian Dunston sank a pair of free throws.
In the second half, Fitchburg State regained the lead (48-42) on a pair of layup from Lee, bucket from Josh Bosworth and a trey by senior Anthony Muccioli with 17:39 to go in the contest.
Following a three pointer by Richie Warren Jr. to extend the Falcons lead to ten (70-60), Mitchell fought its way back into the game, knotting the score at 80 apiece on a trey by Martin with 2:15 left before the Mariners went on a 7-2 run to end the contest as Martin scored four of the seven points during the stretch to give Mitchell College the 86-82 win.
For the Falcons, Lee led the way with a team-leading 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds, while Muccioli added to mix with 15 points, three caroms and two blocks.
McClean paced Mitchell, registering a double-double of 31 points (9-of-24) and 11 boards to go along with seven assists and two blocks, while Martin finished with 17 points, five caroms and one steal.
Throughout the contest, Fitchburg State shot 46.0% from the field (29-of-63), including a stellar 7-17 (41.2%) from beyond the arc, while Mitchell was just as impressive, shooting 39.7% (27-of-60) as well as knocking down 13-of-25 (52.0%) three pointers. The Mariner also held a slim 43-42 margin in rebounds.
Fitchburg State (0-2, 0-1 MASCAC) returns to action on Tuesday as it hosts the Cougars of Clark University at 7:30 p.m. Mitchell (1-1, 0-0 NECC) will host Albertus Magnus on Wednesday for a contest starting at 6 p.m.