FITCHBURG, Mass. – After trailing by five points at halftime, the Worcester State University Lancers (14-7, 6-2 MASCAC) came back and defeated the Fitchburg State Falcons (13-8, 6-2 MASCAC) 73-71 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action Thursday evening.
Back-and-forth action defined the first 10 minutes of play. With 8:04 left on the clock in the first, Fitchburg State's Anthony Muciolli (Nashua, NH) drained a three pointer to put the Falcons up 27-25. The Falcons then went on a 10-0 run, progressing their lead to 10 with 5:45 left on the clock. The Lancers proceeded with five unanswered points to bring them back within five, which resulted in the five point deficit going into the second half.
Junior Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) called the first basket of the second, making a layup at 19:48. The Falcons then went on a 12-4 run to increase their lead to 11 (52-41). Worcester State advanced with six unanswered points off Fitchburg State turnovers, and cut the lead to four on a three-pointer from junior guard, Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) at 14:59. The Falcons then scored six straight points from where the Lancers answered with two consecutive three's from Jamal Mustapha (Worcester, Mass.) and Manny Cabral (Roslindale, Mass.) to bring Worcester State within four once again.
With just over five minutes to go, Shakir came through with some stellar free throw shooting, going 5-for-5 to cut the Falcons' lead to just one. On the next Worcester possession, Brooks marked three offensive rebounds and dunked the ball into the net to give Worcester State the 70-69 advantage with 4:04 remaining. There were four lead changes remaining in the game, from where Worcester took their final lead with 2:35 to go on a jumper from Shakir, and another from Marquez McKreith-Collins (Springfield, Mass.). With 32 seconds to go, Fitchburg's Leonny Burgos (Lawrence, Mass.) made a layup to bring them within one, but Worcester's Ryan DiBernardo (Springfield, Mass.) made a free throw to seal the game at 73-71.
"Our ability to get to the line and make those shots was a big factor in getting over the hump tonight," stated head coach David Lindberg.
DiBernardo led the Lancers with a game-high 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. "Ryan had been playing very well for us," commented Lindberg. "He has made many veteran plays over the past few games and his toughness has willed us to succeed at times."
Brooks ran the boards, marking a game-high 17 rebounds (eight offensive) while chipping in 14 points and four blocks. Shakir netted 18 points, while attaining a perfect free-throw percentage (5-for-5).
For the Falcons, three players scored in double digits, including Kwame Lee (Brockton, Mass.) with 19, Jaleel Bell (Dorchester, Mass.) with 17, and Givaughn Jones (Dorchester, Mass.) with 10. Lee registered a double-double marking 16 boards on the evening.
Despite the Lancers' win, the Falcons had the shooting advantage on the floor, going 38.4 percent from the field versus Worcester State's 36.0 percent. They also outshot the Lancers in three's going 50 percent (6-for-12) from beyond the arc.
On Saturday, the Lancers will travel to Bridgewater State for another MASCAC contest. The tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m.