Men’s Basketball struggles in second half against Fisher

BROOKLINE, Mass. --- Carlow University men's basketball lost a 92-79 contest to Fisher College on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Celtics (1-4) played the game at the Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, where the Boston Celtics practiced in the 1980s.

Byron Gaskins (Woodbridge, Va./Christ Chapel Academy) landed five of Carlow's 11 three-pointers to lead the Celtics with 23 points off the bench. He dished out three assists and made two steals. Nehemiah Brazil (Pittsburgh, Pa./Nazareth Prep HS) added 17 points off the bench, while Riley Comforti (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland HS) contributed 11 points and three steals. Jimmy Giannetta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Saint Joseph HS) tallied 10 points and three assists in the effort.

Carlow started with a strong first half against the Falcons (2-4). A steal, fast break and a foul sent Gaskins to the line where he sank both to give Carlow its first lead of the game at 7-6. Fisher missed three open shots in a row in the next possession, and Gaskins ran down the court and hit a trey to put Carlow ahead 10-7.

A fast break layup by Brazil put Carlow up, 12-9, and Clayton Cook (Brookville, Pa./Brookville Area HS) assisted on Brazil's three-pointer to give Carlow a 15-9 lead. The Falcons responded with back-to-back threes to tie the game at 15-all.

A steal and fast break layup by Comforti gave Carlow the lead again. Tied at 19-all, Fisher picked up a steal, and a foul on the layup sent the Falcons to the line where they regained a 21-19 lead. The Falcons called a 30 second timeout, returning to the game in a full court press and man coverage.

Brazil muscled through an and-one layup, hitting the subsequent foul shot to give Carlow a 22-21 advantage. The Celtics jumped into a press the Falcons broke easily, but Fisher missed a dunk, allowing Carlow to hit a fast break layup and draw an offensive foul in the next possession. Cook nailed a trey to put the Celtics up, 27-21, but it was immediately answered by the Falcons.

Carlow returned to zone coverage with a 29-24 lead and forced a Fisher turnover before Head Coach Jacob St. George called a timeout.

A three-pointer by Giannetta put Carlow up 40-33 with under five minutes remaining in the half, and once again Fisher answered with a three of its own the next trip down the court. Gaskins hit three treys in a row to hand the Celtics an eight point lead with two minutes left, and a goaltending call on Brazil's fast break layup afforded Carlow two more with under a minute to play. The Falcons converted an and-one layup to trail by three points at halftime.

Fisher went on a 15-6 run to start the second half and gained a lead they would not relinquish the remainder of the game.

The Falcons pushed a 10-point lead midway through the half, as both teams suffered a more than two-minute scoring draught before Fisher sank two free throws.

A tip-in by Brazil scored Carlow's first points in over four minutes with the Celtics down 13 and under seven minutes remaining in the half. The Celtics pressed again to gain some traction. Cook hit his second trey of the game, and Comforti picked up a steal in the press, resulting in a layup that added five quick points for the Celtics. Jordan Cannon (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/West Virginia Wesleyan) made two foul shots to see Carlow trailing by 10, but the Falcons maintained a double-digit lead until the end.

The Celtics shot 50.9 percent (28 for 55) from the field and scored 46 points off the bench to Fisher's 35. The Falcons held a narrow 35-31 margin in rebounding and scored 28 points off 21 Carlow turnovers on the day.

Ke'Andre Penceal went 9 for 9 from the foul line and led the Falcons with 23 points. Laddis Taylor added 18 points and four steals off the bench, and Anthony Douglas Jr. had 14 points and six assists. Two other Fisher players recorded double figures to contribute to the win.

The Celtics travel to Dean College for a noon game tomorrow.