Men's Basketball fall to Fitchburg State in MASCAC Opener, 65-64

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team looked to keep their hot streak going this evening when they opened their MASCAC slate on the road at Fitchburg State. The game was competitive throughout, with neither team ever reaching a double-digit lead. In the end, both teams had balanced attacks, with the Trailblazers having three players finish with double-digit point totals, led by Craig Williams' 17. The Falcons had four players with 10+ points, led by 11 each from Nicolas Von Zboray and Jalen Jackson.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025
• Score: MCLA 64, Fitchburg 65
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 2-11 (MASCAC 0-1) | Fitchburg State University Falcons 4-9 (MASCAC 1-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fitchburg opened with an up-tempo first three minutes, building out to a 10-4 lead before the Trailblazers stormed back to tie the game at 12 when junior guard Colby Burleson (Pittsboro, NC) knocked down a three with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
• A short jumper from Joshua Jean Charles put the Falcons back in front, but at no point could they grow the lead past more than five points until a Matthew Drayton three-pointer kicked off a 7-0 run that grew their lead to nine points at 34-25 with exactly three minutes remaining before the half.
• MCLA answered back with a 10-3 run of their own that started with a three from sophomore guard Hayden Morris-Gray (Port Jefferson Station, NY) before senior guard Quentin Gittens (Pittsfield, MA) closed out the period with seven of his 13 points in the final 100 seconds of the half and sent the teams into the locker room at halftime with the score leaning Fitchburg's way by the slightest margin, 36-35.
• The second half was an inverse of the first, as the Trailblazers opened with a 13-4 run to build their largest lead of the game at 48-40 when junior guard Craig Williams (Dover, DE) uncorked a three with just under 14 and a half minutes to go.
• The Falcons then slowly clawed their way back into the game, tying it at 64 with 53 seconds left on a layup by Jeremiah Simeon. Simeon later added a free throw to set up an exciting, if unsuccessful, closing 39 seconds in which MCLA got four looks at the basket that all refused to fall.
• Williams led a trio of MCLA players in double-digit point totals with a game-high 17, followed by 14 by Morris-Gray and 13 by Gittens. Fitchburg had four players accomplish the same, paced by 11 apiece by Nicolas Von Zboray and Jackson and 10 by Drayton and Kamau Franks.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 25-59 / 42.4%, Fitchburg 21-58 / 36.2%
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 10-26 / 38.5%, Fitchburg 7-16 / 43.8%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 4-7 / 57.1%, Fitchburg 16-20 / 80%
• Rebounds: MCLA 41, Fitchburg 34
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 11, Fitchburg 19
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 10, Fitchburg 2
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 28, Fitchburg 16
• Bench Points: MCLA 13, Fitchburg 15

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it plays host to Westfield State University in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium for a MASCAC matchup with the Owls. The tip-off is scheduled for noon.

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