THE BASICS 
Lesley University, 72 at Fitchburg State, 95

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (3-6, 0-0 NAC)
Fitchburg State Falcons (1-8, 0-0 MASCAC) 

Location: Fitchburg, Mass. - Fitchburg State Recreation Center

Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2024

THE LEAD— In its first game since November 26, the Lesley University men's basketball team fell to Fitchburg State in nonconference action, 95-72, Tuesday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fitchburg State raced out to a quick 7-2 lead after a Matthew Drayton three gave the hosts the five-point lead. However, Lesley responded with seven straight points and evened things at nine after CJ Leonard (Raynham, Mass.) knocked down the jumper. 
• Later in the first, Fitchburg pushed its lead back out to five when Nicholas Von Zboray made it 18-13 with 11:49 left in the first. Despite being down, the Lynx clawed back and grabbed their first lead of the night thanks to a 9-2 run that made it 22-20 with less than 10 minutes (8:58) remaining in the opening frame. During Lesley's rally, Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) led the squad with six points.
• As the first half progressed, Lesley grabbed its largest lead of the night at 5:27 when Howard knocked down a free throw that made it 31-28. From then on, both sides traded baskets, and Tavon Rhodes (Dorchester, Mass.) would make a layup with 11 seconds left, and the squad went into halftime down one (38-37).
• Early in the second half (18:33), the Lynx retook the lead when a Rhodes layup made it 43-42. However, Fitchburg gave itself breathing room when Jalen Jackson hit a three that made it 51-47. Howard responded with another layup to cut the hosts' lead to two (51-49). Despite the small deficit, the Falcons pulled away for their first double-digit lead (63-53) courtesy of a 12-4 spurt spearheaded by four points from Nathaniel Semedo.
• While Lesley would pull within eight (66-58) after Nathaniel Maldonado (Bronx, N.Y.) hit a free throw with 9:06 remaining, the Falcons continued their hot shooting the rest of the way and never let the Lynx get closer than that to secure the 95-72 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• Howard posted his second double-double (11th career) of the season with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. His 23 points marked a new season-high for the senior forward. 
• Rhodes and Tarell Joseph (Hempstead, N.Y.) were Lesley's other scorers in double figures with 14 and 10 points respectively. 
• Defensively, Austin Hamilton (Stafford, Va.) swatted away a career-high three shots Tuesday.
• Semedo and Von Zboray both led the Falcons with 18 points apiece.
• Braeden White paced Fitchburg's offense with seven assists on the night. 
• Despite playing only 10 minutes, Joshua Jean Charles led Fitchburg in rebounding with eight boards.
• The Falcons held the advantage in shooting on the night shooting 47.4 percent from the field (36-76) compared to the Lynx's 40.6 percent (26-64). Fitchburg also held the advantage from three by going 7-24 (29.2 percent), whereas Lesley shot 3-18 (16.7 percent).

UP NEXT

• Lesley kicks off North Atlantic Conference play when the squad travels to SUNY Delhi on Friday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m.