The Fitchburg State fended off a late surge by visiting Salem State Wednesday night, holding on for a 65-55 victory in MASCAC play.
Salem State jumped out to a 6-2 lead before the Falcons got on track with four points from Tyrone Manderson and back-to-back jumpers from Frederick Siayor to hold a 13-10 advantage.
Knotted at 21, Tajahn Joyner had a steal and a layup to push the Falcons ahead before the teams traded baskets at the end of the half to even the score at 25 at halftime.
A jumper and a layup from Conner Byrne gave the Vikings a 33-31 advantage in the third, but the Falcons soared to a 39-37 advantage with a bucket in the paint from Javon Taylor. Knotted at 41, Byrne scored five straight to push the Viking to a 46-41 lead midway through the frame.
The Falcons countered with a 13-0 run, including a three-point play from Javon Taylor and five points from Siayor to take the lead for good.
A jumper from Jarret Byrne and a trey from Juvens Louiscut the Salem State deficit to 54-51 with three minutes to play, but Matthew Tanis and Siayor hit crucial free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Siayor paced the Falcons with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks, while Quincy Taylor added 13 points and nine rebounds.
Fitchburg State (9-12, 4-5 MASCAC) returns to action Saturday, traveling to Worcester State for a MASCAC contest at noon.
Women’s basketball
Salem State 71, Fitchburg State 47: Stephanie Hart had eight points and 17 rebounds to lead the Falcons (3-19, 1-8 MASCAC). Kathryn Hart added eight points off the bench and Aliza Som had seven in defeat.
Boys basketball
Tewksbury 66, North Middlesex 51: Brian Morse and Jack Callahan each had 15 points in defeat, while Mike Reardon chipped in with 10 for the Patriots.
Worcester Tech 55, St. Bernard’s 35: The loss drops the Bernardians to 8-7.
Monty Tech 71, South Lancaster 29: Jaden Jones scored a game-high 17 points as the Bulldogs improved to 10-6.
High school hockey
North Middlesex 3, Wachusett 1: Jimmy O’Keefe (two assists), Max Calliri and Sean Myers scored for the Patriots (8-8-0), while Aaron Scarelli stopped 27 shots to earn the win. Tyler Cunio and Gavin Petrucci picked up helpers in the victory.
Fitchburg/Monty Tech 6, Oakmont 5: The Red Raiders (9-6-0) prevailed in overtime, while the Spartans fell to 3-12-0.