Fitchburg State Ends 30 Year Drought, Defeating Vikings 74-67
January 8, 2015

Fitchburg State Ends 30 Year Drought, Defeating Vikings 74-67

Fitchburg State withstood a late rally attempt and snapped a 30 year, 61 game drought as they defeated the Vikings of Salem State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball tilt, 74-67, on Thursday evening at the Recreation Center on the campus of FSU.

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Fitchburg State snaps 61 game drought dating back to 1985
 
FITCHBURG, Mass. – Fitchburg State withstood a late rally attempt and snapped a 30 year, 61 game drought as they defeated the Vikings of Salem State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball tilt, 74-67, on Thursday evening at the Recreation Center on the campus of FSU.
 
Fitchburg State held the lead for the majority of the game, but saw its lead dwindle down to three (68-65) with 30 seconds remaining on three consecutive free throws by Vikings senior guard Bryan Ortiz.
 
Junior guard Anthony Muccioli proceeded to knockdown two from the charity stripe, followed by a crucial steal and fast break layup by junior forward Givaughn Jones with 14 seconds on the clock to put a close to the Salem State's comeback bid.
 
After three lead changes in the early minutes of the game, the Falcons would go up by as much as 15 in the opening half - thanks in large part to shooting 51.5% (17-33) from the floor, and dominating the paint offensively with 24 of their first half 41 points in the lane.
 
A three pointer by the Vikings senior guard Nicholas Grassa with 3:39 in the first half cut the deficit to single digits (29-20), but the hosts responded with a pair of layups by sophomore forward Jalen Williams and a three pointer by junior guard Keyon Armstrong to push their margin back to 15 going into halftime.
 
Fitchburg State had four of their five starters in double-figures, as junior forward Kwame Lee led the Green & Gold with 15 points - 12 in the first half and eight rebounds, while Muccioli chipped in with 14 points, going 4-8 (50%) from the floor and 2-3 from downtown. Jones and Armstrong had 11 and 12 points respectively for the home side in the conference opener.
 
Ortiz helped cut the Salem State deficit in the closing stanza down to as little as three, shooting 50% (5-10) from the field and going 6-6 from beyond the arc for 17 second half points - 24 overall for a game-high. Senior guard Hamad Akanni contributed with 15 points and eight rebounds, while senior forward Marcus Faison led the contest with 13 boards in the losing effort.
 
The Falcons ended the night shooting 49.1% (28-57) from the hardwood, while going 50% (6-12) from the perimeter. Salem State went 23-61 (37.7%) from the field, while going just 8-24 (33.35) from beyond the arc. FSU held a 40-32 edge in caroms, while having a 40-30 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Both squads return to MASCAC action on Saturday, with the Falcons traveling to Framingham State at 3:00 pm, while Salem State will be at Worcester State. Tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm.


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