The first game in the post-Tony Barros era ended in disappointment for the Beacons, as they fell to the Falcons of Fitchburg State 62-52 at the Clark Athletic Center. With the loss, the Beacons fall to 0-1 (0-0 in conference), and have lost their season-opener for the third-straight year.

Right out of the gate, both teams looked sloppy, taking some time to settle in. Finally, at the 18:12 mark, Fitchburg state converted a lay-up to take a 2-0 lead. The next six minutes could be generously called a defensive struggle, with both teams shooting a combined 1-14 from the field, including 0-6 from the perimeter. For UMB, the offense looked very methodical with the ball passing through almost every player’s hands on every possession; they simply could not get their jumpers to fall in what would become a theme for the game. Their defense, on the other hand, was outstanding, led by the fiery play of forward Mark Doran. The senior from South Boston was positively Kevin Garnett-like in his emotion and intensity, flying all over the court to slow down cutters and shut down passing lanes. It was also Doran who eventually jump-started the offense, hitting back-to-back threes to put the Beacons up 10-7, giving them their first lead of the game. Although the pace of the game remained quite fast with both teams pushing the ball up the floor on every possession, the game continued to be characterized by missed shots and fierce defense. Eventually, with six minutes left and the Beacons leading 15-13, the scoring picked up and the half ended in a flurry of baskets for both teams. When the dust cleared and the horn sounded, the Falcons had taken the lead 29-28 and both teams headed to the locker room.

To start the second half, the teams came out playing completely opposite styles, with the Beacons pushing and running and the Falcons trying to shove the ball inside and take advantage of their size advantage in the post. With UMB denying the post, the Falcons put the ball in the hands of their star player, Brian Torres. Torres began to heat up from the perimeter, hitting on consecutive possessions, and with 12:41 remaining, Fitchburg had extended the lead to seven at 43-36. UMB began to battle back, sparked by sophomore guard Robert Zotti, who came off the bench and locked down on the Fitchburg point guards. The other major factor in the Beacons’ comeback was the tough play inside of sophomore Ernst Jean, a new addition to the UMB squad this season. Jean ripped down some key rebounds, and at times dominated the game on the boards with his shot blocking.

A big rebound and transition jumper from Zotti, followed by some tough work inside by Jean that yielded a free throw, cut the lead to two with six minutes left. Unfortunately, the Beacons would get no closer, as some big shots by Torres, who netted 17 second half points, helped the Falcons maintain the distance. Two late turnovers on consecutive possessions sealed the game as the Falcons made their free throws down the stretch, and coasted to a ten-point victory.

Despite the loss, Coach Charlie Titus remained very positive about his team’s performance. After the game, the coach said that he was very happy about many aspects. “I thought the defense was good; I thought we rotated well; I thought we communicated well, and I thought we boxed out much better than I thought we would this early in the season,” said the long-time Beacons coach. “We just couldn’t buy a shot. I mean, it’s hard when we can’t get the shots that we want, and we just need to put the ball in the basket.” The Beacons ended up shooting 30 percent from the field. The coach noted that this is a very young team, having only three upper classmen, and they really need to carry the team. Amigo Paniagua, the leading returning scorer, finished 1-12 from the floor, and Coach Titus felt that this was certainly an anomaly for the senior. “You’re not gonna see him shoot like that very often,” Titus commented.

When asked what they would do to prepare for next game, Paniagua commented with a smile, “Well, we’re definitely going to be doing a lot of shooting at practice tomorrow”.

The Beacons are next in action Tuesday against Emerson College in the Clark Center with a 7 p.m. tip-off.