Rams Defeat Lancers 67-64

By Kathleen Lynch/Framingham State athletics

FRAMINGHAM, MA - The Framingham State University men’s basketball team received a double double from sophomore Tony Alexandre and held off a second half comeback by the Worcester State University Lancers to secure a 67-64 victory in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference action Wednesday evening at the Athletic Center.

With the win, the Rams improve to 5-19 on the year and are now 2-9 in the conference, while the Lancers fall to 15-6 overall and move to 7-4 in the Conference.

Alexandre paced the Rams with a team-high 20 points on 9-of-17 from the floor to go along with a game-best 14 boards. Senior Joe McCabe, who connected on 4-of-6 from behind the arc, finished with 12 points, while classmate Tim McCarthy chipped in with 11.

The Rams opened the game with a 7-0 run capped by a long three from McCabe. They extended the lead to 14-1 just under six minutes in on another three from McCabe as the Rams rode their hot shooting from long range to a 25-3 lead midway through the half. The Lancers chipped away at the deficit with a run of their own highlighted by a three point play from junior Ryan DiBernardo and a pair of deep threes from classmate Bilal Shakir to close the gap to seven (33-26). A McCabe three in the closing seconds sent the Rams to the locker room leading 36-26. The Rams connected on 7-of-14 from behind the arc in the opening stanza.

The Rams opened the second half with a mini run capped by a bucket in the paint from Alexandre to take a 45-30 advantage. Worcester responded with a 20-5 run over the next nine minutes to tie the game at 50-50. The run included a pair of threes from freshman Alex Santos as well as five points from Bilal including a pair of free throws that tied the score. The Rams countered with a 7-0 run to retake the lead for good. The run featured a banked in three from near midcourt as the shot clock expired from senior Jacek Louisville.

Worcester State cut the lead down to two on a pair off occasions including with 1:25 remaining on a pair of Shakir freebies. Marquez McKreith-Collins sank one of two from the line with 40 seconds remaining to pull the Lancers within one. The Rams could not connect on the ensuing possession giving Worcester a chance to take the lead. The Lancers called timeout with 13.2 on the clock, but turned the ball over without getting a shot off and Ben Roache sank two free throws to seal the win for the Rams.

The Lancers were led by a game-high 24 points from Shakir who connected on 12-of-13 from the line in the game. Santos recorded 15 points off the bench in just a half of action, while junior Paul Brooks added 10 and eight rebounds.

The Rams finished the game shooting 44% from behind the arc connecting on 11-of-25, while the Lancers shot just 34% from the floor in the game.

Both teams close out the regular season with Conference games on Saturday afternoon with the Rams hosting Fitchburg State at 3 p.m.