Men's Basketball Opens Season with 56-53 Victory over Wentworth

Boston, Mass. - The Framingham State University men's basketball team received 20 points from senior Manny Payton (Fitchburg, Mass.) as the Rams opened the 2018-19 season on the road this evening with a 56-53 victory over Wentworth in non-conference action at Tansey Gymnasium.

THE BASICS:

- Score:   Framingham State 56, Wentworth 53

- Records: Framingham State (1-0), Wentworth (0-1)

- Location:  Tansey Gymnasium - Boston, Mass.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After the teams traded baskets in the opening portion of the game, Wentworth jumped out to an 8-3 lead, thanks to four points from junior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.).
• Framingham State used an 8-0 run, capped off by a three pointer from Payton, to take an 11-8 lead with 13:48 remaining.
• The hosts got within one on two occasions, including on a jumper from freshman Noah Bice (Woodacre, Calif.) with 11:21 remaining, however, the Rams went on a 9-0 run and grabbed their largest lead of the game (22-12) with just under seven minutes remaining.
• Scoring the next seven points, Wentworth came within three with 4:44 left before Framingham State brought the lead back to 10 points, 1:22 later and led by seven (31-24) at the break.
• A 7-0 run to open the second half, capped off by a sophomore Gavin Keough (Dunstable, Mass.) layup, evened the score at 31-all with 17:08 left in the contest.
• The Rams brought their lead to six with just over 13 minutes remaining when Payton hit one of two from the line and again when freshman Lens Esquil (Taunton, Mass.) hit a layup.
• Wentworth pulled within one on a layup from sophomore Trey Carrier (Wilton, N.H.) but a 6-2 spurt gave Framingham State a 50-42 lead with 6:40 remaining.
• The Leopards pulled within three on two occasions, including on a layup from Azums with 45.9 seconds to play. One of two free throws from freshman Jared Gordon-Anderson (Framingham, Mass.) with 39 seconds left made it a four-point contest before Azums made a layup to cut the lead in half with 25 ticks left.
• After Wentworth committed a foul it had to give, Payton was fouled and hit two free throws. However, Azums converted on the other end, making it a two-point game with just under three seconds left. On the inbound pass, Payton was fouled and hit the first before his second attempt was missed and an offensive rebound ran out the clock.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Payton finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists.
• Gordon-Anderson recorded 12 points and four boards in his first collegiate action, while junior Tyri Hampton (Fitchburg, Mass.) chipped in with eight points, nine boards and four assists.
• Azums led all scorers with 23 points to go along with 19 rebounds, which matches a career high. Sophomore Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) added eight points, five rebounds, and three assists, while senior Zach Bergeon (Litchfield, N.H.) scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had four assists. Wentworth had a 46-34 rebounding advantage

UP NEXT:

The Rams are back in action this weekend when they travel to Amherst College on Friday night at 6 p.m.

Release courtesy of WIT Sports Information