Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Poor shooting from downtown proves to be the difference, as the New England College Men's Basketball team fell to Fitchburg State University, 95-89 in the opening game of the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament, on the campus of UMass Dartmouth, Friday Evening.
THE BASICS
Score: Fitchburg State 95, New England College 89
Records: Pilgrims (0-1, 0-0 NECC) | Falcons (1-0, 0-0 MASCAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
New England College was able to hit from deep early on, as they were able to jump out to a 9-3 lead, Fitchburg was able to slowly get within striking distance, and was able to take their first lead of the game at 24-22, following a three-pointer by Javon Taylor. The Falcons were able to quickly expand their advantage to eight points (32-24), but a late run by the Pilgrims cut the deficit down to two points (43-41) at the half.
In the second half, FSU was able to shoot lights out, as they pushed their lead to as large as 18 (68-50). New England College started to chip away at the deficit and finally got it down to single digits (75-66) following a transition three by Calvin Cheek. The Falcons refused to relinquish the lead, but the Pilgrims were able to cut it to four points (89-85) after Marquez Rather scored in transition. Fitchburg had a late burst at the end, giving them the 95-89 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Calvin Cheek set a career-high in steals with 13, while also pouring in a game-high 25 points, and adding seven rebounds and six assists.
- New England College shot 28.6% (8/28) from beyond the arc, compared to Fitchburg's 44.4% (8-18)
- With his fifth steal of the game with 2:01 remaining in the first half, Calvin Cheek picked up his 449th career steal, which surpassed Tennyson Whitted of Ramapo (2000-03) for the most steals in NCAA history.
- Fitchburg State leads the all-time series, 7-1.
UP NEXT
- NEC vs Wheaton College, Saturday, November 6, 12:00 pm
- FSU vs UMass Dartmouth, Saturday, November 6, 2:00 pm
