FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 11, 2012) – The Fisher College men's basketball team rebounded nicely after a loss on Sunday to take down Fitchburg State University, 83-81 in non-conference action at the Fitchburg State University Recreation Center.
The Falcons received a double-double effort from the reigning American Mideast Conference Player of the Week, senior Dennis Norford (New Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross), who tallied a team-high 22 points and 14 rebounds, while junior Ryan McCorkle (Bellevue, Wash./Shorline CC) added 18 points and eight caroms on the evening. Sophomore Zack Pope (Orlando, Fla./UMaine-Machias) also cracked double figures for the visitors with14 points, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 at the line.
For Fitchburg State, sophomore Mike Ingram-Rubin (Boston, Mass./Bedford) led with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while junior Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass./Lexington) added a double-double effort of 20 points and ten rebounds. Sophomore Brandon Selby (Baltimore, Md./Joppatowne) neared double-digits with nine points, while adding seven boards.
In the first half, Fisher grabbed a 13 point advantage at the break (40-27), using a pair of big runs over the frame. Fisher opened the game with a strong 19-4 run, posting a 21-7 margin midway through the half, before closing the period with another surge (10-4) for a double-digit lead heading into the locker room. Norford fell just one rebound shy of posting a double-double in the first half (14 points, nine boards) to lead Fisher, while Henneberry scrapped together nine points to pace the Falcons.
Over the second half, Fitchburg State cut the Fisher lead to five on several occasions, but Fisher answered all of the Falcon rallies, holding the lead for a majority of the second period. The visitors opened a double-digit lead midway through the second half, using both a 6-1 and 9-5 rally with 7:30 remaining in regulation.
Senior Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) cut the Fisher lead to eight, connecting for back-to-back buckets on consecutive trips down the floor, while junior Adam Fahey (Auburn, Mass./Auburn) added a trio of field goals to keep the Falcons within striking distance. Ingram-Rubin brought the Falcons within a basket (81-78), nailing a three at the 2:56 mark, before Henneberry completed the comeback, knotting the score at 81-81 with his fifth three of the night.
Down the stretch, Fisher reclaimed its lead, using a pair of McCorkle free-throws for an 83-81 advantage. The Falcons did not go quietly, creating several scoring opportunities in the final 0:18, but a couple long-range attempts did not fall to give Fisher its fourth victory of the year.
Fitchburg State (8-4, 0-1 MASCAC) is back in action on Saturday as it travels to Framingham State at 3 p.m. Fisher (4-16, 1-6 AMC) will host Wilberforce College on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Information from this article courtesy of Fitchburg State Athletic Department