Men's Basketball Loses Overtime Thriller to Worcester State 91-89

Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's basketball team received a game-high 26 points from junior Cameren McCloud-Thomas (Springfield, Mass.) but were defeated 91-89 in overtime this evening by Worcester State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Center.

THE BASICS:

- Score: Worcester State 91, Framingham State 89 (OT)

- Records: Framingham State (1-14, 0-2 MASCAC), Worcester State (6-8, 2-0 MASCAC)

- Location:  Athletic Center – Framingham, Mass.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• McCloud-Thomas led all scorers with a double double effort of 26 points and 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
• Sophomore Jared Gordon-Anderson (Framingham, Mass.) chipped in with 17 points for the Rams on 8-of-13 from the floor, while classmate Tajahn Joyner (Amherst, Mass.) chipped in with nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
• The Lancers saw four players record double figures led by 20 points, including the game tying three as time expired in regulation, from senior Tyler Dion (Barre, Mass.).
• Sophomore Corey Olivier (Maynard, Mass.) added 18 points, while Chris Cardoso (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) and Cal Howes (Maynard, Mass.) added 14 and 12 respectively.   

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Rams led by as many as 14 points in the opening half before Worcester State rallied late to head to the locker trailing just 44-40.
• In the second half, the Lancers closed the gap to one 51-50 with just over 15 minutes on the clock and used a 14-4 run over the next three minutes to take a 65-54 lead.
• The Rams chipped away at the lead and tied the game 73-73 on a McCloud-Thomas bucket with 6:35 on the clock.
• The Rams scored seven straight taking an 80-73 lead on a backdoor cut by Tomas Donoyan (Belmont, Mss.) with 1:53 on the clock.
• Worcester State countered with seven straight of their own capped by Dion's bank three at the buzzer tying the game at 80-80 and forcing overtime.
• In the extra session, the Rams led 84-81 on a McCloud-Thomas jumper, but a three from Dion tied the game with 2:33 on the clock.
• The two teams traded points and the game stood tied at 86-86 with 1:39 remaining.
• After a Rams miss, a putback by Cardoso with 1:00 on the clock put the Lancers ahead for good.  The Rams could not connect on their next two possessions and Worcester hit 3-of-4 from the line to seal the victory.

UP NEXT:                   

The Rams are back in action on Saturday afternoon when they host to MCLA at 2 p.m., while the Lancers travel to Salem State also at 2 p.m.