Men's Basketball Clipped By Pride In Non-Conference Action

Jackson paces Green & Gold with team-best 17 points

Fitchburg, Mass. - The Falcons of Fitchburg State dropped a 71-68 match-up to the Pride of Regis College in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 68, Regis 71 

Records: Fitchburg State 6-5 | Regis 8-4

How It Happened

First Half

Knotted at 7–7 early in the first half, the Falcons dug in defensively and set the tone with a strong stand that forced an offensive foul by Regis. The Green and Gold quickly capitalized, getting buckets from Joshua Jean Charles (Dorchester, MA) and Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, TX) to take an 11–7 lead. Newcomer Kobe Witherow-Bass (Sacramento, CA) made his presence felt eight minutes in, scoring his first points with the team to push the advantage to 14–8. Regis answered later in the half as Rob Elliot (Willington, CT) knocked down a deep three to trim the margin to 23–20 with 6:32 remaining, but the Falcons responded in a big way. A decisive 11–4 run gave the Green and Gold a double-digit cushion at 34–24, and Joshua Jean Charles capped the opening frame with a layup to send the Falcons into the break with momentum.

Second Half

Sophomore Jeffrey Herbin (Watertown, MA) opened the second half with a deep three for the visitors to cut the deficit to five, 38–33. The teams traded baskets over the next several possessions until junior Braeden White (Spencer, MA) came up with a key steal and finished on the other end to push the Falcons' lead to 44–35. Regis continued to chip away, trimming the score to 48–44 with 11:00 remaining, but once again the Falcons had an answer. Takoma Rosario (Vista, CA) jumped a passing lane for a steal and converted a layup, forcing a Pride timeout. Regis surged back behind back-to-back three-pointers from Ned Fitzpatrick and a jumper by Jamir Harvey, giving the visitors their first lead of the afternoon at 55–54 with 7:36 to play.

The Falcons responded down the stretch, reclaiming the lead at the free-throw line as Jalen Jackson knocked down a pair to make it 63–62. With 90 seconds remaining and the Pride ahead by two, Nicolas Von Zboray (Sacramento, CA) buried a clutch three-pointer to give the Falcons a 68–67 advantage. The teams battled through the final possessions, but Regis won on a Fitzpatrick jumper.

Inside the Numbers

• Falcons were led by Jackson with a team-leading 17 points and 6 rebounds
• Fitchburg State shot 22-for-54 (40.7%) from the field and (5-of-17) 29.4% from three-point range
• Regis went 23-of-58 (39.7%) overall and (7-for-22) 31.8% from beyond the arc
• Pride finished with a 44-35 margin on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Wednesday, when they host Bridgewater State at 7:00 PM

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