Men's Basketball can't run with Falcons, they fall 98-79 in MASCAC action
Hayden Bird scored 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the Trailblazers loss to Fitchburg on Wednesday night
North Adams, MA- The visiting Fitchburg State Men's Basketball team placed five players in double figures and used a powerful second half to pull away from the MCLA Trailblazers 98-79 in MASCAC action. The Falcons improve to 6-9 overall, but are now 2-1 in the league. MCLA drops to 4-12 overall and is still winless in the MASCAC at 0-4.
Nicholas Tracy led all scorers with 21 points. Jonathan Perez notched 19 points off the bench for the Falcons. Andre Ruff (13), Charles Doss (11), and Tayjuan McKenzie (10) rounded out the double figure scoring.
In the opening half, neither team led by more than five points. The half featured six ties and six lead changes as both teams couldn't establish runs. Fitchburg took their largest lead with just 51 seconds left in the half on Andre Ruff's triple, but MCLA countered with a basket to head into the locker room down just 41-38.
Fitchburg was slowed by 9 first half turnovers compared to just 5 for the Trailblazers. The Falcons shot 43% while MCLA connected on 35% of their attempts. Each team shot well from beyond the arc as they combined to shoot 12-27 from deep.
The Falcons used a potent up tempo attack in the second half to pull away. They began the half on an 8-0 spurt to go up 49-38. MCLA would get back within five points at 56-51 with still 13:41 left to play, but the Falcons responded with a 12-3 run to take command. MCLA wouldn't get within single digits the rest of the way.
Hayden Bird led MCLA with a team best 20 points. He was 7-14 from the floor and drilled four from beyond the arc. Shamar Logins had a nice game off the bench with 14 points for the Trailblazers. Quran Davis ended with 10 points.
The Falcons shot 50% from the floor, including a 58% clip in the pivotal second half. They also owned a 45-37 rebounding advantage.
MCLA is off until next Tuesday when they head to Salem to face the Vikings. Fitchburg will host Worcester State on Saturday as they continue league play.
