Men’s Basketball Falls To Owls In MASCAC Action

Jackson nets team-leading 20 points for Falcons

Fitchburg, Mass. -The Fitchburg State men's basketball team battled hard against Westfield State but ultimately fell, 84-72, in front of an energetic home crowd on Wednesday evening at the Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 84, Westfield State 72 

Records: Fitchburg State (9-9, 2-5 MASCAC) | Westfield State (14-4, 6-1 MASCAC)

How It Happened.

Fitchburg State and Westfield State went back and forth in a competitive opening half, with multiple lead changes and momentum swings. Fitchburg opened the scoring as Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, TX) hit a deep three-pointer and followed it with a layup, giving the Falcons an early edge. Matthew Drayton (Roxbury, MA) added a long-range 3-pointer, and Kobe Witherow-Bass (Sacramento, CA) contributed a layup and grabbed key rebounds, keeping Fitchburg in control early.

Westfield State responded through Joe Thomson and Xavier Lewis, who connected layups and 3-pointers, briefly swinging the lead in Westfield's favor. But Fitchburg stayed resilient. Tommy Engel-Chatten (Hopkinton, MA) drove to the basket, scored in transition, and collected offensive rebounds, while Joshua Jean Charles Dorchester, MA) and Takoma Rosario (Vista, CA) battled inside, securing boards and scoring on putbacks to keep the Falcons within striking distance.

Fitchburg opened the second half with Nicolas Von Zboray hitting a three-pointer to give them an early lead. The teams traded baskets over the next several minutes, with Jalen Jackson hitting layups for Fitchburg and Thomson keeping Westfield close with drives to the hoop and free throws. Von Zboray added a key jumper to keep Fitchburg within striking distance, but Westfield pulled away late in the half with a flurry of baskets, stretching the lead to 75-66 and forcing a Fitchburg timeout with just over two minutes remaining. Westfield hit their free throws down the stretch for the 84-72 final

Inside the Numbers

• Falcons were led by Jalen Jackson with 20 points, while Von Zboray chipped in with 12
• Fitchburg State shot 27-57 (47.7%) from the field and (8-of-22) 36.4% from three-point range
• Westfield State went 29 of 57 (50.9%) overall and (6-for-19) 31.6% for beyond the arc
• The Owls finished with a 34-33  margin on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Saturday when they travel to Bridgewater State.

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