Men's Basketball Sneaks Past MIT

CAMBRIDGE, MA: Fitchburg State men's basketball narrowly took down the Engineers of MIT this afternoon in a non-conference bout.  

THE BASICS:

- Date: 12/2/23

- Score: Fitchburg 78, MIT 75

- Records: Fitchburg (2-5), MIT (1-7)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

-  This contest started with a quick 4-0 run by MIT. The Falcons would work their way back and take an 8-6 lead with 17:10 left in the first half. After being tied 13-13, Fitchburg's defense would hold the Engineers at 13 points for the next four minutes while building a 13-point lead. The closest MIT was able to get the remainder of the half was a ten-point deficit.

- The Falcons leading 46-35 at the half, struggled out of the break, letting MIT come back to within eight in the opening minutes. Both teams settled into a stalemate starting at 15:53, with the score stuck at 57-44 in favor of the visiting team. MIT would start to chip away as they held the Falcons at 70 points for about two minutes. In that time, the Engineers worked the game back to within four points at 70-66. The Falcons were able to hold on to the three-point lead for the remainder of the contest, ending at 78-75.  

- The Falcons were paced by Matthew Drayton (Boston, MA) with 18 points. Joshua Jean Charles (Dorchester, MA) finished just behind him with 15 points while coming off the bench. Javon Taylor (Cambridge, MA) completed the double-digit scoring for the Falcon with 12 points. He also finished with a team-high nine rebounds.

- The Engineers finished with four double-digit scorers. Leading the way was Spencer Lin, who had 17 points. Isaac Dobie had 14 points with nine rebounds. Merlin Gogolin finished the contest with a double-double consisting of ten points and 15 rebounds.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

-  Shooting: Fitchburg 41.6%, 3-PT 25.9%, FT 28%. MIT 41.5%, 3-PT 27.6%, FT 48.1%

-  Rebounds: Fitchburg 51, MIT 49

-  Assists: MIT 18, Fitchburg 13

UP NEXT:

- Fitchburg State men's basketball will be back next Tuesday at 6 PM in Parkinson Gymnasium to play Castleton University.

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