Fifth Seeded Falcons Defeated By Top Seeded Lancers

Worcester, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University Men's Basketball team dropped a 74-56 decision to the top seed Lancers of Worcester State in semifinal round action of the 2022-23 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men's Basketball Post-Season Tournament at the Bissonette Court.

Score: Fitchburg State 56, Worcester State 74

Fitchburg State (10-16, 4-8 MASCAC), Worcester State (21-5, 12-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

1st half

Worcester State grabbed an 8-4 edge on a bucket from junior Sam Dion (Barre, Mass.) before the Falcons countered as senior Dayne Allen (Revere, Mass.) and sophomore Matthew Tanis (Hialeah, Fla) notched layups to knot the score at 8-8.

The Lancers pushed the advantage to 25-15 as junior Brandon Goris (Bronx, N.Y.) sank a pair of free-throws, but the Falcons trimmed the deficit to 28-22 with Tanis burying a three-pointer. The Green and Gold cut the lead to 35-26 as Tanis hit a jumper before the host upped the lead to 38-26 with junior Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) draining a three ball.

2nd Half

Following the intermission, Worcester State upped the lead to 40-26 on a jumper from sophomore Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, Mass.) before Fitchburg State answered as Allen connected on a layup and Tanis knocked down a three-pointer to make the score 45-33.

The Lancers extended the advantage to 62-43 with Rubenskas sinking one of two from the charity stripe, but the Falcons responded when junior Javon Taylor (Cambridge, Mass.) netted a bucket to trim the lead to 62-45.

Fitchburg State continued to battle when senior Tajahn Joyner (Amherst, Mass.) registered a layup to cut the lead to 68-54 before Worcester State secured the victory as graduate student Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, N.C.) hit a layup, resulting in the 74-56 final.

Inside the Numbers

• Falcons were paced by Tanis with a team-leading 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal
• Senior Quincy Taylor (Boston, Mass.) added 12 points and nine caroms
• For the Lancers, Rubenskas finished with a game-best 22 points and eight boards
• Nkrumah chipped in with 17 points, five rebounds and one block
• 116th meeting between the Falcons and Lancers on the hardwood with Fitchburg State 43-73 all-time when taking on Worcester State
• Fitchburg State shot 22-for-65 (33.8%) from the field and (5-of-15) 33.3% from three point range
• Worcester State finished 29-of-69 (42.0%) overall and (6-for-17) 35.3% for beyond the arc
• The Lancers finished with a 52-42 edge on the glass

Up Next

Falcons conclude their 2022-23 season with an overall record of 10-16 and a 4-8 clip within conference play.