Men's Basketball Downs Bridgewater State 73-64

Framingham, Mass. – Senior Manny Payton (Fitchburg, Mass.) tallied a game-high 25 points as the Framingham State University men's basketball team defeated Bridgewater State 73-64 this afternoon in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Center. 

THE BASICS:

- Score:  Framingham State 73, Bridgewater State 64

- Records: Framingham State (3-14, 2-3 MASCAC), Bridgewater State (3-13, 1-3 MASCAC)

- Location: Athletic Center – Framingham, Mass.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The two teams traded baskets and the lead over the game's opening minutes.  With the game tied at 11-11 after an Admar Jaramillo bucket with 12:00 minutes left in the half, the Rams rattled off a 20-7 run fueled by seniors Manny Payton (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Khaneil Bruce (Cambridge, Mass.) to take a 31-18 lead with just over three remaining in the half.
• The Rams took a 38-24 lead at the half with Payton leading all scorers with 15 first half points and Bruce adding eight.  The Rams converted 10 first half Bear turnovers into 13 points in the frame.
• The Bears opened the second half and closed the gap to 10, 48-38, on a Jonathan Mercado (Lynn, Mass.) three just under five minutes into the half.
• The Rams answered with an 11-4 run over the next four minutes pushing the lead to 17 (59-42).
• Bridgewater State closed the gap back to six with just over six minutes remaining in the second on layup from Jaramillo.
• The Rams pushed the lead back to nine with just over two on the clock on a layup from sophomore Cameren McCloud-Thomas (Springfield, Mass.) before securing the 73-64 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Payton led all scorers with a game-best 25 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• McCloud-Thomas finished the game with 13 points on six-of-eight from the floor and added six boards, while Bruce finished the game with 11 points and eight rebounds.
• The Bears were paced by 16 points and 11 rebounds from junior Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, NC).  Ward connected on six-of-15 from the floor and added an assist, two steals and three blocks.
• Junior Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 points on six-of-nine from the field, while Jaramillo finished the game with 12 points and four boards.
• The Rams shot 46.7% from the floor in the game, while the Bears connected on 40% of their offerings.
• The Rams held a 38-26 edge in points in the paint and a 21-9 advantage in bench points.

UP NEXT:                   

The Rams are back in action next Thursday when they travel to MCLA for MASCAC tilt at 5:30 p.m., while the Bears host Worcester State on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.