Lynn, MA- The Men's Basketball team hung on in a tight contest that saw seven ties and eight lead changes with the Bryant & Stratton-Albany Bobcats. Trailing by as many as eight points in the second half, the Falcons used an 11-4 run late in the second to get back in the game and come up with the 66-64 victory. With the win the Falcons improve to 4-3, while BSC falls to 4-2. Senior Jhalen Lumpkins (Sacramento, CA) was key down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 21 points in the second half, including a huge 3-pointer with 12 seconds left that gave the Falcons the lead for good.
The Bobcats lead for the majority of the first half as they shot 44% from the floor to lead by as many as ten points with 6:41 left in the first half. FC had the answer though, using a 14-4 run over the next four minutes to tie the game at 31 a piece, capped by a pair of free throws from Jason Augliera (Discovery Bay, CA). BSC took the momentum right back on the next play as Jihad Wallace dunked it over Falcons defenders and sparked a 9-3 run to close out the first half with a 40-34 lead heading into the break.
BSC extended their lead again to eight, as Jamil Hood scored the first basket of the second half for a 42-34 Bobcats lead. A pair of three's from Kyle Williams (Fairfield, CA) got the Falcons back to within two, but the Bobcats responded again to push it back up to a 48-42 lead for the visitors with 12:44 on the clock. The key 11-4 Falcon run came late in the second, regaining the lead on a pair of made free throws from Cole Barton (Los Angeles, CA) to put 53-52 on the scoreboard in favor of the Falcons with 7:48 remaining. Over the next three minutes of play there were two ties and four lead changes, but Augliera's five straight free throws proved to be the difference as it gave the Falcons the lead for good.
The Bobcats would not go quietly though, as Jamil Hood's back-to-back baskets put his team down by just one at 62-61 with 44 seconds remaining. In came Lumpkins heroics, knocking down a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, leaving 12 ticks on the clock for the visitors chasing four. Hood made it three in a row as he sunk a trifecta with three seconds remaining, making it a 65-64 game. The Bobcats were forced to foul with just three seconds remaining, putting senior Ville Milan (Turku, Finland) at the line for a pair. Milan hit one of two, giving the Bobcats one more opportunity as Reggie Perez was fouled in the rebounding scrum. Perez was sent to the line for a one-in-one situation with the opportunity to tie the game, but he missed his first and time would expire, giving the Falcons the 66-64 win.
Augliera was the other Falcon to finish in double figures as he added 12 points, five boards and a pair of assists. Paul Oha Jr. (Antioch, CA) had a strong game under the basket, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds while adding three blocked shots. Perez and Hood were the high scorers for the Bobcats as they finished with 16 and 17 points respectively, while Perez earned a double-double adding 11 boards in the losing effort.
The Falcons will be off for the Thanksgiving break, but will be back in action on Saturday when they head to Vermont Tech for a 2pm start.