Trailblazers Rally Past Men's Basketball

NORTH ADAMS, MA: Fitchburg State men's basketball fell to the Trailblazers of MCLA in conference action this afternoon after a late surge by MCLA to rally past the Falcons 71-67.  

THE BASICS:

- Date: 2/1/25

- Score: MCLA 71, Fitchburg 67

- Records: MCLA (4-15, 2-5 MASCAC), Fitchburg (5-15, 2-5 MASCAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

-  The first half saw a back-and-forth contest, with six ties and seven lead changes. The Falcons held the upper hand going into the break after another solid first-half performance by Nathaniel Semedo (Bridgewater, MA) and Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, TX). Semedo had another game-high at the break with ten points, while Jackson put in seven. The Trailblazers kept the game close at 28-26 behind Craig Williams, who had a team-high eight points.

- The second half started with Fitchburg extending their lead to its largest of the game with 16:01 left. However, the eight-point cushion wouldn't last long as MCLA would slowly work their way back behind Jackson Brown and Quentin Gittens. Brown had a team-high in the half with 15 points, while Gittens finished just behind him with 13 points. Gittens also pulled down eight boards in the half. Fitchburg would keep it close until the end, thanks to Jackson's 20 points just in the second half. The last few minutes shored up the contest for MCLA after a couple of free throws by Jojo Garcia and a layup by Gittens.

The Trailblazers were paced by Gittens, Brown, and Williams, who combined for 51 of the team's 71 points. Both Gittens and Brown finished with 18 points, with Williams topping out at 15. Gittens finished the contest with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

- The Falcons had the game's best scorer in Jackson, with 27 points to go along with his six rebounds. Semedo finished the game with 15 points and a team-high in rebounds with seven.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

-  Shooting: MCLA 40.4%, Fitchburg 39.7%

-  3PT: MCLA 44%, Fitchburg 26.1%

-  Free Throws: Fitchburg 84.6%, MCLA 70%

UP NEXT:

Fitchburg State men's basketball will return to action Wednesday when it hosts Worcester State at 5 p.m. for another MASCAC contest.

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