Falcons Drop Road Contest at Westfield

Thu Jan 26, 2023

Westfield, Mass. – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team fell 81-63 to the Owls of Westfield State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Thursday evening at the Woodward Center.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 63, Westfield State 81
Records: Fitchburg State (7-10, 2-4 MASCAC) | Westfield State (4-14, 3-3 MASCAC)

How It Happened
The Owls raced out to an 8-0 lead before senior Javon Taylor (Cambridge, Mass.) hit a layup for the Falcons. Westfield State then reeled off another 12 points before jumpers from Mikal Garcia (Fresno, Tex.) and Tyrone Manderson (Saugus, Mass.) cut the deficit to 22-6. Senior Tajahn Joyner (Amherst, Mass.) hit six straight points and Matthew Tanis (Hialeah, Fla.) hit a bucket for Fitchburg State down the stretch to chip into the Owls lead (36-18) at intermission.

Westfield connected early in the second half with three-pointers from JT Thompson (Columbia, SC) and Brendan Keaveny (Quincy, Mass.) to extend the lead (44-20). However, the Falcons countered with a 17-2 run, sparked by a three-point play from Joyner and a pair of buckets from Quincy Taylor (Boston, Mass.) to make it a 46-37 ballgame.

Westfield responded with eight points from Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) to forge ahead 58-39 midway through the half. The Falcons responded with treys from Garcia and Joyner and eight points from Jordan Polanco (Methuen, Mass.). Westfield sealed the win with a jumper from Eric Johnson (Houston, Tx.).

Inside the Numbers

Joyner paced the Falcons with 20 points and 5 rebounds while Quincy Taylor chipped in with 8 points and 8 boards.
For the Owls, Hamilton had a game-high 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Westfield State shot 32-for-64 (50%) from the field and (4-of-5) 80% from three-point range
Fitchburg State finished 21-for-61 (37.7%) overall and (6-for-18) 33.3% for beyond the arc

Up Next

Falcons return to action next Wednesday when they travel to MCLA to take on the Trailblazers in a MASCAC action starting at 5:00 PM