Fitchburg State Holds Off Bridgewater State, 85-77, for Fourth-Straight Win
January 13, 2016

Fitchburg State Holds Off Bridgewater State, 85-77, for Fourth-Straight Win

FITCHBURG, Mass. - Seniors Kwame Lee and Givaughn Jones combined for 31 points as Fitchburg State held off visiting Bridgewater State, 85-77, in a MASCAC men's basketball clash on Wednesday evening in the Parkinson Gymnasium.

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FITCHBURG, Mass. - Seniors Kwame Lee and Givaughn Jones combined for 31 points as Fitchburg State held off visiting Bridgewater State, 85-77, in a MASCAC men's basketball clash on Wednesday evening in the Parkinson Gymnasium. 

The Bears were led by junior guard Patrick McGuinness, who came off the bench to record 16 points in 23 minutes on court. 

The win marks the fourth consecutive overall for the Green and Gold. The Falcons have also opened league play with two consecutive victories.

"These games are huge," said Fitchburg State Head Coach Titus Manderson. "It doesn't matter who we're playing, we need to win at home and continue to get better each game in league play."
 
The hosts got their first point of the game when Lee knocked down 1-of-2 from the charity stripe before teammate Josh Bosworth made the first basket of the game on a lay-up the following possession giving the Falcons an early lead. 

Bridgewater State would take its first lead of the game moments later when freshman Ryan Carney knocked down consecutive buckets putting the score at 5-4.

At the 15 minute mark of the first half the two teams began to match buckets with the Falcons getting points from five different players and maintaining the slight lead over the visitors, 23-20. 

Bridgewater State managed a slim 21-20 advantage over the final 10 minutes of the opening frame, including 10 points from sophomore guard Rocky DeAndrade. 
 

At the end of the first half neither team were able to separate from their opponent as the MASCAC foes went into the locker room for intermission with the Green and Gold holding a one possession lead, 43-41 over their opponent. 

As play resumed the Bears quickly regained the lead as Carney opened second-half scoring by knocking down a three ball giving his team another one-point lead. 

Fitchburg State responded by rattling off 10 points during an 8-2 run as Lee dropped four points and re-took the lead for his squad, 66-60. 

With 13:06 remaining the Green and Gold began to take control of the game when senior guard Givaughn Jones scored three-straight points, jolting a 13-0 Fitchburg State run and giving the home team a 14-point lead. 

The visiting Bears made an effort to get back into the contest going on a 9-3 run before freshman guard Tysaul Horton put the game out of reach with 1:30 left, knocking down a three-pointer and a pair of free throws on the next possession giving the Falcons their largest lead of the game (81-66). 

Fitchburg State was able to hold off another late push before hearing the buzzer sound with the final score of 85-77. 

The Falcons shot 32-of-61 (52.4%) from the field in the contest while their opponent finished the game 25-of-70 (35.7%) shooting. 

Bridgewater State was able to force 23 turnovers to Fitchburg State's 15, but the visitors allowed more points off of turnovers with the Falcons scoring 22 off miscues. 

Fitchburg State controlled the glass in its victory, pulling down 53 rebounds to Bridgewater State's 35 while maintaining a large advantage on the defensive glass (39-24). 

The Bears finished the game with five players in double-digits, but were outscored by the Falcons bench 32-30 throughout the game. 

Fitchburg State (9-6; 2-0 MASCAC) will travel to Clark University on Saturday January 16th to take on Worcester State for the Sterling Cup, tip-off starting at 3:00 p.m. 

Bridgewater State (5-8; 1-1 MASCAC) hosts league rival Salem State University on the same day. 

Release courtesy of Fitchburg State student journalist Kyle Prudhomme
 
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