Falcons Ring the Bell to Victory

Senior Jaleel Bell Posts 26 points to lead Falcons Past Brandeis

Fitchburg, Massachusetts – Twenty-four days without competitive basketball had little effect on the Fitchburg State men's team, riding a 26-point performance from Jaleel Bell with 18 of those coming in the second-half, in its 79-70 victory over Brandeis University in non-conference action at Parkinson's Gymnasium.

"I think the break was probably good for us," said Fitchburg State head coach Titus Manderson. "We had four practices in a row and you could see a noticeable improvement just in the approach and attitude. I think it showed tonight." 

Bell - for the second straight game and fifth time this season – found himself in the 20-point region, shooting 10-for-17 including three from three-point land. He finished shy of a triple-double, adding nine rebounds and eight assists.  

"He's a senior captain. He's really patient and picks his spots. He recognizes when we need baskets and he's a fun kid to coach because of his team attitude," said Manderson.  

In the opening action of the first-half with the Falcons down 19-13, junior Josh Bosworth hustled toward an offensive board before returning it to the hoop for two points. The Green & Gold used the points as a springboard for a commanding 12-to-3 scoring drive, knocking off six minutes of clock, and taking a 28-22 lead.  

With five-minutes left in the first-half, Brandeis got a boost from senior Nate Meehan, draining back-to-back from beyond the arc to give his team a slight, 34-33 lead. With 31 seconds left, Falcon's forward Jalen Williams swayed the scoreboard in the hosts favor, taking a feed from Leonny Burgos and finishing in the paint for the last bucket of the half, and the 35-33 lead into the lockeroom.  

Following the half-time break, the teams matched baskets throughout the first five-minutes of the second half. That's when Jaleel Bell asserted himself for Fitchburg State.

After taking the lead from consecutive conversions from Chima Ebele and Bosworth in the lane, the preseason All-American rattled off 11 quick-points, including a pair of three pointers, giving his team a 14-point advantage.

While trailing 56-40 with 10:50 remaining, Brandies University were presented a chance to get back into striking-distance as Ebele invoked a double-technical following a shooting foul, being ejected from the game, and giving the Judges five chances at the charity stripe – N. Meehan nailed four during the trip, pulling the visitors within 12 points.

The Judges got six more unanswered when Sam Dowden found contact on a lay-up, knocking down the extra-point, before Eric D'Aguanno nailed a triple while nestled in the right corner to decrease the margin to six points.

 With momentum-brewing for Brandies, Fitchburg State refused to allow the Judges back into the contest, as junior Lance Hill scored on three straight possessions, including a pair from beyond the arc to push the lead back to ten-points, 64-51.

 After consecutive 2-for-2 trips to the line for the Judges, Bell decided it was time to take-over again, scoring Fitchburg's next eight points to seize a 72-58 lead. Brandies showed energy late in the game, controlling a 12-to-7 run during the final two minutes, but were unable to overturn the 14-point margin.

 The Falcons dominated the shot-charts, shooting 32-for-53 (60.4%) in the game including 7-for-13 (53.8%) from triple, to the Judges 19-for-52 (36.5%) from the field and 9-for-27 (33.3%) from three. On the glass, Fitchburg State controlled a 34-to-24 margin. Brandeis controlled second chance points, 12-11, and forced more turnovers with 21.  

 Bosworth came off the bench for a double-double, scoring ten points to go with ten rebounds and two blocks. Hill (14) and Williams (10) also had double-digit days scoring. Burgos and Bell were active defensively, swiping four steals each.

 For the Judges, N. Meehan ended with a team-high 13 points in 29 minutes played. Teammate Jordan Cooper added ten points and six rebounds while Tim Reale and D'Aguanno finished with nine points and Robinson Vilmont picked up nine to go-along with a team-high eight assists and three steals.

Fitchburg State (4-4, 0-0 MASCAC) can use this victory as a building block going forward with the team entering the meat of the schedule; including conference play. The Green & Gold begin the upward-trek on January 2^nd when it travels to Keene State to clash with the Owls beginning at 6:00 PM.

 "It's important for the players [returning from break with a win]. It shows we're working on the right things. We have three games a week now for the next three weeks, it's gonna' be a tough part of the schedule for sure," said Manderson.

Brandeis University (3-5, 0-0 UAA) look to rebound on January 3^rd when it hosts Bates University at 4:00 PM. 

Release courtesy of Fitchburg State University student journalist Kyle Prudhomme