Men's Basketball Rallies Past AMCATS In Overtime Thriller

Von Zboray finishes with team-best 20 points for Green & Gold

Paxton, MA – The Fitchburg State Men's Basketball team earned an 87-79, overtime victory over the AMCATS of Anna Maria this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action from the Fuller Activities Center.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 87, Anna Maria 79

Records: Fitchburg State (8-8, 2-3 MASCAC) | Anna Maria (4-11, 1-4 MASCAC)

How It Happened

First Half

Fitchburg State opened the contest with a 9-6 edge on buckets from junior Joshua Jean Charles (Dorchester, MA), classmate Takoma Rosario (Vista, CA) and senior Nicolas Von Zboray (Sacramento, CA) before Anna Maria grabbed a 13-12 margin as junior Yuki Efosa (Lawrence, MA).

The AMCATS pushed the lead to 27-25 as sophomore Nolan Serafin (Burrville, RI) netted a layup, but the Falcons answered back when junior Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, TX) drained a three-ball for the 31-27 edge.

The hosts trimmed the deficit to 39-35 with Efosa hitting a bucket, but the Green and Gold upped the advantage to 42-35 going into the break when junior Matthew Drayton (Roxbury, MA) buried a three pointer.

Second Half

Following the intermission, Anna Maria regained the lead (51-44) as Serafin knocked down a three-pointer before Fitchburg State cut the lead to 51-46 with junior Kobe Witherow-Bass (Sacramento, CA) registering a layup.

The Amcats extended the margin to 62-53 when Serafin netted a bucket, but the Falcons answered back with junior Tommy Engel-Chatten (Hopkinton, MA) hit a bucket.

Anna Maria pushed the lead to 72-61 as junior Joe Ingegneri (W. Springfield, MA) drained a three-ball before Fitchburg State rallied to force overtime when Von Zboray drilled a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining in regulation to knot the score at 77-77

Overtime

With the contest tied at 79-79, Fitchburg State went on an 8-0 run as Rosario and Witherow-Bass netted layups, while Drayton drained a three-ball, resulting in the 87-79 final.

Inside the Numbers

• Von Zboray paced the Falcons with a team-best 20 points, two rebounds and two assists
• Drayton added 16 points, three boards, three assists and one steal
• For the AMCATS, Serafin finished with a game-leading 23 points, seven caroms, one assist and three blocks
• Ingegneri chipped in with 14 points, one rebound and one block
• Fitchburg State shot 32-for-69 (46.4%) from the field and (13-of-21) 61.9% from three point range
• Salem State finished 27-of-69 (39.1%) overall and (11-for-20) 36.7% from beyond the arc
• The Falcons held a 43-39 advantage on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Saturday as they travel to MCLA to take on the Trailblazers in MASCAC action, starting at 12:00PM..

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