Men's Basketball Topped By Seahawks At St. Mary’s Holiday Classic

Fitchburg, MA – The Fitchburg State Men's Basketball team suffered a tough 77-56 setback to the Seahawks of St. Mary's (MD) College this afternoon in opening round action of the 2023-24 Seahawks Holiday Classic from the O'Brien Arena.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 56, St. Mary's 77

Fitchburg State (2-9, 0-0 MASCAC) I St. Mary's (6-6, 1-0 UEC)

How It Happened

1st half

St. Mary's opened the contest with a 15-1 advantage, capped by a pair of free-throws from Daryn Alexander before Fitchburg State answered with a layup by freshman Joshua Jean Charles (Dorchester, MA) (16-3). The Falcons cut the deficit to 18-5 as newcomer Diallo Barry (Baltimore, MD) notched a jumper, but the Seahawks pushed the lead to 24-5 with Micah Henry connecting on a layup.

The Green and Gold reduced the lead to 27-12 as freshman Colin Quinn (South Hadley, MA) hit a jumper and classmate Kamau Franks (Converse, TX) drained a three ball. The host extended advantage to 34-19 as Jaden Walker knocked down a three-pointer before Fitchburg State closed out the first scoring with freshman Matthew Drayton (Boston, MA) connecting on a three ball to make the score 34-22 going into the break.

2nd Half

Following the intermission, St. Mary's upped the lead to 38-24 on a Henry layup before Fitchburg State countered with a three-pointer from newcomer Keajuan Beco (Louisville, KY). The Falcons trimmed the lead to 53-38 on another Franks three ball and a Barry layup, but Henry netted a layup for the Seahawks to make the score 55-38.

The hosts pushed the lead to 59-41 on a pair of free-throws by James Lerner, but the Green and Gold answered with a bucket from senior Javon Taylor (Cambridge, MA) (43-59). The Green and Gold reduced the deficit to 70-49 on a three-pointer by freshman Anthony Joseph (Palm Bay, FL) before the Seahawks secured the victory on a basket by Jake Koverman, resulting in the 77-56 final.

Inside the Numbers                                                                                                 

• Falcons were led by Franks with a team-best nine points, three boards, one assist and one steal
• Taylor added eight points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals
• For the Seahawks, Henry finished with a game-leading 15 points, six caroms, three assists and one steal
• Koverman chipped in with 13 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal
• First ever meeting between Fitchburg State and St. Mary's on the hardwood
• Fitchburg State shot 22-for-60 (36.7%) from the field and (9-of-25) 36.0% from three-point range
• St. Mary's finished 22-of-55 (40.0%) overall and (6-for-16) 35.5% for beyond the arc
• Seahawks held a 45-30 advantage on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action tomorrow as they take on the Bearcats of Baruch College in day two action of the 2023-24 Seahawks Holiday Classic, starting at 1:00PM.