FITCHBURG, Mass.- In a back and forth game Worcester State falls to Massachusetts Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent, Fitchburg State University, 78-74 Saturday afternoon at Parkinson Gymnasium.
With the loss, the Lancers fall to 9-8 (2-2 MASCAC). The Falcons improve to 7-9 overall (3-1 MASCAC).
The Lancers opened up the afternoon on an 8-0 run. Triples from Chris Cardoso (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) and Tyler Dion (Barre, Mass.) started the Worcester State offense. The Falcons didn't give the Lancers an opportunity to run away with it though and battled back. Anselm Edegbe's (Benin, Nigeria) layup tied the score 17-17 at the 10:32 mark. Both teams refused to let the other out of their sights.
The Lancers headed into the locker room with the 33-31 advantage over the hosts.
Fitchburg State came out of the locker room strong. Charles Doss (Fitchburg, Mass.) put up nine points in the opening six minutes of the half to give the Falcons the advantage. Jordan Jones (Worcester, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws to put the Falcons up 53-40, their largest lead of the game. The Lancers started chipping away at the point differential starting with a Jason Feliciano (Springfield, Mass.) jump shot.
Dion's triple at the 6:56 mark regained the lead for the visiting Lancers. The teams stayed close to each other, but the visitors held steady in their lead. A Nicholas Tracy (Indianapolis, Ind.) three point shot but the Falcons up by one with 2:51 remaining. Both teams fought for control of the final minutes matching layup for layup. Tyrell St. John (Stamford, Conn.) secured the win for the Falcons with a jump shot and two made free throws.
St. John totalled 19 points in the Falcon win, tallying four assists as well. Jonathan Perez (Lowell, Mass.) and Tracy helped the Fitchburg State offense grabbing 16 and 14 points respectively.
Leading the Worcester State offense, Cardoso recorded the game high 21 points in the loss and grabbed four rebounds. Dion was close behind with 18 points and five assists.
Next up for the Lancers, they head to Bridgewater State Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off. Fitchburg State is in action the same night when they head to Westfield State.
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