Dudley, MA --- Junior Brendan Rios (Easthampton, MA) registered 22 points, five boards and three assists to help pace Worcester State to a 79-66 victory over Fitchburg State on Tuesday evening in MASCAC men's basketball action at the Nichols College Athletic Center.
With the win the Lancers (10-13, 7-4 MASCAC) earn their ninth triumph in 14 games since the beginning of the winter semester. The Falcons slip to 2-21 overall and dip to 2-9 in league action.
Senior Dane Jobst (Athol, MA) pitched in with his 16th double-double in 23 games with 14 points and a contest-best 14 boards while freshman Paul Brooks (Arlington, MA) continues to impress with 18 points off a 7-for-10 effort from the floor and a season-high seven blocks, which was just one off from tying the school record.
Freshman Noris Cuevas-Nova (Amherst, MA) also registered 13 points and five helpers for WSU. Rios did his damage on a 9-for-14 shooting night as he was four-for-eight from beyond the arc.
The MASCAC's leading scorer, senior Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, MA/Bedford) netted a squad-high 20 points off a 7-for-14 line from the floor. Rubin entered the contest among the top scorers regionally with 19.7 points per game.
Freshman Josh Ferreira (N. Dighton, MA) and senior Mo Molin (Brockton, MA) both finished scoring 13 points apiece as Molin grabbed eight caroms for the Falcons.
With the Lancers holding the slim 13-10 edge after the midway point of the first stanza, the hosts embarked on a 13-4 surge to take over the 26-14 lead with 6:27 remaining. Rios keyed the spurt with seven points while sophomore Manny Cabral (Roslindale, MA) added a trey for WSU.
Fitchburg State came right back, taking advantage of missed shots and miscues by the Blue and Gold to trail 30-25 at the intermission.
As Worcester State maintained the 42-34 score with 14:17 on the clock, the Falcons used a 7-0 run over a span of 1½ minutes to trail by one with a lay-up by Burgos, a trifecta by Ferreira and a field goal by Ingram-Rubin (42-41).
WSU, however, built their margin into double-digits with the 11 point scoring combination of Cuevas-Nova and Jobst, who finished off the rally with a triple to open up a 53-46 advantage with 10:14 remaining.
The Falcons trimmed it to five with 8:30 left (53-48), but the Lancers took control with a 13-1 outburst for the commanding 65-49 contest 2½ minutes later. Rios pitched in with five points and Brooks added an old fashioned three-point play.
Fitchburg State never threatened again as the Lancers put themselves into a tie with Westfield State for third place in the MASCAC standings.
The Lancers shot a blistering 56 percent from the field for the contest (31-for-56) – including 72 percent alone in the second stanza (18-for-25). WSU also connected on nearly half of their shots from downtown (8-for-17 – 47 percent), while leading in points in the key (44-36), second-chance baskets (15-9) and fast break scoring (21-9).
Fitchburg State shot a solid 40 percent for the game (25-for-64) and were bolstered by a consistent effort in the final frame (47 percent – 14-for-30). The Falcons also took full advantage of 28 Lancer miscues by finishing with a 23-14 margin in the category. FSU also missed seven free throws (14-for-21 – 67 percent).
In a brief pregame ceremony, Jobst and classmate Jeremy Ross (Rutland, MA) were recognized on "Senior Night" for playing in their final regular season home game.
Both squads finish off the MASCAC regular season on Saturday at 3 PM on the road. Worcester State heads to Framingham State while Fitchburg State travels to Westfield State.
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