Falcons Soar Past Trailblazers, Manderson Notches 100th Win

Fitchburg, Mass.  – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team downed the Trailblazers of MCLA 76-56 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at Parkinson Gymnasium. With the victory, head coach Titus Manderson earned his 100^th career win.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 56, MCLA 76
Records: Fitchburg State (6-6, 1-0 MASCAC) | MCLA (5-7, 1-1 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Senior Dayne Allen (Revere, Mass.) and classmate Quincy Taylor (Boston, Mass.) notched early baskets to give the Falcons a 4-2 advantage. MCLA countered with a pair of free throws from Noah Yearsley (Averill Park, NY) to knot the game at 6-6. The Green and Gold reeled off nine straight points including a pair of layups from sophomore Frederic Siayor (Worcester, Mass.) to forge ahead 15-6. The Falcons capped off another large run with a three-pointer from the baseline from sophomore Matthew Tanis (Hialeah, Fla.) to extend the lead to 27-10 midway through the first half.

MCLA made a ten-point ballgame (30-20) with back-to-back buckets from Mamadou Diallo (Brooklyn, NY) and Yearsley. However, the hosts finished the frame with a pair from the charity stripe from Allen to take a 36-25 lead into intermission.

It was the Javon Taylor (Cambridge, Mass.) show to start the second half for the Falcons. The guard opened the quarter with a trey and scored the first ten points for Fitchburg State. Trailing 52-32, MCLA went on a 13-3 run to close the gap. Sophomore JoJo Garcia (Henderson, NV) knocked one in from downtown and ended the run with a layup to lead the Trailblazers, while Yearsley chipped in with seven points.

The Falcons' sealed the victory down the stretch with a three-point play from senior Mikal Garcia (Fresno, Tex.) and a pair of layups from Allen.

Inside the Numbers

• Javon Taylor paced the Falcons with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Allen finished with a game-high 13 rebounds and 15 points for the double-double.
• Tanis had 15 points off the bench for the Falcons
• For the Trailblazers, Yearsley led the way with a team-high 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals
• MCLA shot 19-for-57 (33.3%) from the field and (3-for-20) 15% from three-point range
• Fitchburg State finished 29-for-64 (45.3%) overall and (5-for-11) 245.5% for beyond the arc
• Fitchburg State held a 46-39 advantage on the boards

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Wednesday when they head to Framingham State for a MASCAC match-up starting at 5:30 PM, MCLA is off until January 14^th when they will host the Rams at noon.