Worcester, MA --- Fitchburg State senior Zach Valliere (Douglas, MA) poured in a game-best 19 points to go with nine boards and three blocks as he propelled the Falcons to a 64-58 triumph over Worcester State in MASCAC men's basketball action this evening at the Lancer Gymnasium.
Fitchburg State (12-8, 4-5 MASCAC) were also led by fourth-year Tim Henneberry (Lexington, MA) who finished with 12 points and 10 boards as senior classmates Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, MA) and Brandon Selby (Baltimore, MD) both chipped in with 10 points apiece.
Junior Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MO) ended the contest with 18 points for the Lancers while teammate Dane Jobst (Athol, MA) brought down his 14th double-double of the campaign with 12 points and 14 caroms.
Freshman Austin Keeler (Holyoke, MA) added 11 points and first-year Alex Lopez (Springfield, MA/Commerce) finished with nine assists and five rebounds in the setback for WSU.
With Fitchburg State holding the 18-13 margin with 10:07 left in the first half, Worcester State held their opponents scoreless for nearly five minutes with a 15-0 run as Keeler netted five points in the surge.
The Lancers (10-12, 4-6 MASCAC) continued to lead by 12 with 2:19 remaining, but the Falcons scored four points at the end of the stanza on consecutive lay-ups by junior Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, MA/Bedford) and Henneberry.
With the hosts ahead 38-34 three minutes into the second period, Fitchburg State utilized a 12-4 run capped off by a three-point play by Selby to help the visitors lead by one with 15:39 remaining (39-38).
Over the next 12 minutes of action, the squads played a back-and-forth affair that saw nine lead changes and the score equaled on five occasions.
The Blue and Gold maintained the largest lead of four on three occasions, midway through the frame which included a bucket by Hunter that made the score 54-52 with 6:35 left.
Following a jumper in the paint by Jobst, Vallierre responded by converting a lay-up for the one point cushion at the 3:16 mark (57-56).
Worcester State attempted to answer the call, but missed a three-pointer and two bids with the bonus at the charity stripe over the next 90 seconds.
Fitchburg State took full advantage of their opportunity when Henneberry sank a lay-up with 1:46 in regulation for the 59-56 edge.
After the Lancers failed to score on their next possession, the Falcons went 5-for-6 from the free throw line to help wrap-up the hard-fought triumph.
With the score 63-58 and 20 ticks remaining, Kimber also had a key rejection at the three-point arc to help pace a solid defensive effort in the waning moments for the visitors.
The contest was a tale of two halves. Worcester State connected for 44 percent in the opening stanza (15-for-34), but only made nine of their 31 bids from the field in the final frame (29 percent).
On the other hand, Fitchburg State had a solid 31 percent showing in the first period (11-for-35) and made nearly half of their shots in the second half (45 percent – 14-for-31).
Fitchburg State registered just one trifecta in 14 bids from beyond the arc, but were 13-for-17 from the charity stripe (77 percent). FSU also dominated the paint (42-24) and the backboards (48-36).
The Lancers ended the game with leading margins in points off of turnovers (15-11) and they dished out 17 assists for 24 made field goals.
The Falcons outscored their counterparts 38-24 in the final period.
Both squads continue MASCAC play on Saturday at home. Worcester State hosts rival Bridgewater State at 5:30 on "Senior Day" while Fitchburg State hosts Salem at 3 o'clock.