Men’s Basketball Falls to Fitchburg in Overtime Heartbreaker

PAXTON, Mass. – Anna Maria College was dealt a heartbreaking defeat by Fitchburg State University, falling 87–79 in overtime in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball game on Thursday evening at the Fuller Activities Center.

With the loss, the AMCATS move to 4–11 overall and 1–4 in MASCAC play.

Fitchburg carried a 42–35 lead into halftime, but Anna Maria responded with a strong opening stretch in the second half. Tyson Wheeler handed out five assists in the first four minutes after the break, including setups on three-pointers by Nolan Serafin and Lucas Miglionico, as the AMCATS surged ahead 51–44 and forced a Fitchburg timeout.

Anna Maria built its largest lead of the night midway through the second half, taking a 12-point advantage, but the Falcons battled back behind Nicolas Von Zboray, who knocked down three clutch three-pointers late. Von Zboray finished 6-for-8 from beyond the arc, tying the game at 77–77 in the closing moments and sending it to overtime, where Fitchburg outscored the AMCATS 10–2.

Serafin led all scorers with 23 points, connecting on five three-pointers while adding seven rebounds and three blocks. Joe Ingegneri provided a spark off the bench with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, while Yuki Efosa and Miglionico each finished with 12 points, with Miglionico also pulling down nine rebounds. Wheeler recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists, as Anna Maria totaled 19 assists and 14 offensive rebounds on the night.

Anna Maria returns to action next Saturday with a MASCAC road matchup against Worcester State University beginning at 2 p.m.

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