Men's Basketball Edged By Beacons In Non-Conference Action

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.

Tue Nov 19, 2024

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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