Franks finishes with team-best 12 points for the Green & Gold

Fitchburg, MA – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team dropped a tough 59-58 decision to the Beacons of UMass Boston this evening in non-conference action from the Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 58, UMass Boston 59

Records: Fitchburg State (0-5, 0-0 MASCAC) | UMass Boston (2-1, 0-0 LEC)

How It Happened

First Half

The two teams traded buckets to open the contest (5-5) as sophomore Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, TX) buried a three ball and classmate Matthew Drayton (Boston, MA) added a layup, while graduate student Mark Barrett (Brookline, MA) connected on a three pointer and jumper.

The Beacons grabbed a 10-5 edge on a layup from junior Xavier McKenzie (Lowell, MA) before the Falcons trimmed the deficit to 10-9 with freshman Trevor Oliver (Douglas, MA) connecting on a bucket. The visitors pushed the advantage to 17-9 though when McKenzie drained another three ball.

The Green and Gold continued to battle, cutting the lead to 19-16 with Jackson netting a put back layup, but UMass Boston extended the margin to 33-26 as junior Erik Donaldson (East Longmeadow, MA) hit a layup. The hosts answered back on a Braeden White (Spencer, MA) layup before newcomer Davon Sanders (Mansfield, MA) notched a layup to give UMass Boston a 26-21 edge going into the break.

Second Half

Following the intermission, Fitchburg State went on a 10-0 run, capped by an Alex Moemeka (West Hartford, CT) three pointer for the 31-26 margin before UMass Boston responded as senior Emanuel Zayas (Hollywood, FL) registered a layup (31-28).

The Beacons regained the lead (41-40) as junior Carson Meczywor (Adams, MA) connected on a three-ball before the Falcons knotted the score at 44-44 with junior Jeremiah Simeon (Norwalk, CT) sinking a pair from the charity stripe.

The Green and Gold took a 53-50 lead when White notched a layup, but the Beacons answered back as Barrett knocked down a three pointer for the 55-53 margin. The back-and-forth battle continued with both teams trading the lead down the stretch before Zayas connecting on a jumper to seal the victory for the Beacons, 59-58.

Inside the Numbers

• Sophomore Kamau Franks (Converse, TX) led the way for the Falcons with a team-leading 12 points, seven caroms and one assist
• Jackson chipped in with a double-double of ten points and 12 rebounds as well as one assist
• For the Beacons, McKenzie finished with a game-best 20 points, four rebounds, three steals and one block
• Barrett added 15 points, five boards, one assist, two steals and two blocks
• 34th meeting between Fitchburg State and UMass Boston on the basketball court with the Falcons 13-21 all-time when taking on the Beacons
• Fitchburg State shot 21-for-57 (36.8%) from the field and (5-of-16) 31.3% from three point range
• UMass Boston finished 23-of-61 (37.7%) overall and (6-for-21) 28.6% for beyond the arc
• The Falcons held a narrow with a 48-32 edge on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Thursday as they host the Engineers of MIT for a non-conference tilt, starting at 6:00 PM.

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