Fitchburg State Fights Past Regis, 73-71

Graham nets season-high 25 points in victory over the Pride

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 6, 2009) - Junior Tim Graham (Arlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic) posted a season-high 25 points and nine rebounds to lead Fitchburg State past Regis College, 73-71 in non-conference action this evening.

Graham connected for 9-of-16 shots from the field, including 7-of-8 from the free throw stripe to lead Fitchburg State. Senior Brian Torres (North Dighton, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth) was also solid, registering 17 points on 5-of-14 shooting, including three from beyond the arc. Junior Colin London (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) rounded out the Falcons top three, totaling 16 points and nine boards, while hitting 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Sophomore Derrick Neal (Boston, Mass.) led the Regis attack with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Classmate Josh Irvin (New Britain, Conn.) had the hot hand from beyond the arc for the Pride, hitting 3-of-3 shots on his way to 15 points. Junior James Cooper (Philadelphia, Penn.) added 12 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds and six assists.

Regis opened the contest strong, posting an early 11-2 run to grab an 11 point lead midway through the first half. Freshman Tom Hughes (London, England) led the charge with five points, while Irvin connected for four. Fitchburg State rallied back with an 11-1 run of its own, knotting the game at 26-26 with 7:31 left in the half. Torres led the rally with a three-pointer, while London netted three shots from the charity-line.

In the second half, Fitchburg State came out soaring, putting together a 9-0 run at the 14:19 mark to grab a 61-51 lead. Regis responded late in the half, stringing together a 15-5 run over a 3:47 span to bring the game to a 71-71 deadlock. Irvin ignited the Pride rally with three consecutive three-pointers, but Fitchburg State netted the game-winning shot with 0:24 left on the clock as Graham grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in off the glass.

Fitchburg State (5-5, 0-0 MASCAC) will be in action again on Saturday as it hosts Framingham State College at 3 p.m. Regis (6-5, 0-0 TCCC) will travel to Colby-Sawyer on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 73, Regis 71