Keene State Rolls Past Fitchburg State, 109-74

Henneberry posts first double-double of the season in Falcons loss

KEENE, N.H. (November 19, 2010) –The Fitchburg State men's basketball team suffered a tough 109-74 setback to Keene State College at the 2010 KSC Adrenaline Circuit Tip-Off Tournament this evening.

Keene State (2-0, 0-0 LEC) will play Conn. College in Saturday's championship game at 7p.m. while Fitchburg State (0-2, 0-0 MASCAC) will draw Fisher College in the consolation game at 5 p.m.

ADAM FAHEY

Sophomore Adam Fahey (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) and junior Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) paced the Fitchburg State offense, combining for 27 points and 16 rebounds. Henneberry registered his first double-double in a Falcon uniform, posting 12 points and ten boards, while Fahey notched a team-high 15 points to go with five caroms and two steals.  Senior Elliot Knower (Baldwinville, Mass./Narragansett) also hit double figures, rounding out the top Falcon threats with ten points and six rebounds on the night.

The Owls (2-0) had five players score in double-figures. Sophomore Ryan Martin (Wayne, Me.) led a balanced attack with 15 points, while classmates Nicco DeMasco (Richmond, N.H.) and Rashad Wright (Agawam, Mass.) had double-double performances with DeMasco leading the way with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Anthony Mariano (Naugatuck, Conn.) and freshman John Boyatsis (Dover, N.H.) capped the double-figure scoring with 13 points and 11 points respectively.

Keene State led by as many as 12 points in the first half, following a top of key three-pointer by Martin at the 6:09 mark. The Falcons went on a 12-3 run, cutting KSC's lead to three points (39-36) on a jumper by Rolffi Canela (Perth Amboy, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) with 1:25 to go but  sophomore Ollie Hunter (Bedford, N.H.) hit a base-line drive at the buzzer to give the Owls a 44-38 halftime lead. 

The Owls pulled away from the Falcons midway in the second half. Leading by 11 (61-50), the Keene State scored 13 straight points to go up 74-50 with 11:34 to play. The run included a traditional three-point play by Wright, put-back lay-ups by junior Orlando Echevarria (Chelsea, Mass.) and DeMasco and a three-pointer by sophomore Ryan Bourgeois (Bedford, N.H.). 

The Owls shot 51% from the field (42-82) and hit 13 of their 31 three-pointers (42%), KSC outrebounded Fitchburg State 62-42, while the Falcons finished 22-75 from the field (29%).

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Keene State 109, Fitchburg State 74