MCLA Outlasts Men’s Basketball 67-64

Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's basketball team was defeated tonight by MCLA 67-64 in a back and forth game that saw nine ties and seven lead changes in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Center.

THE BASICS:

- Score: MCLA 67, Framingham State 64

- Records: Framingham State (1-15, 0-3 MASCAC), MCLA (11-4, 4-0 MASCAC)

- Location:  Athletic Center – Framingham, Mass.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Rams were paced on the offensive end by a game-high 19 points from sophomore Jared Gordon-Anderson (Framingham, Mass.). Gordon-Anderson connected on 7-of-11 from the floor and added five rebounds and three assists.
• Freshman John Kalton (Somerville, Mass.) added 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, while junior Trevor Manyak (Bolton, Mass.) added eight points off the bench.
• Junior Cameren McCloud-Thomas (Springfield, Mass.) added seven points and a game-best 11 boards.
• The Trailblazers were led by 13 points apiece from Ki-Shawn Monro and Noah Yearsley, while Hayden Bird and Quentin Gittens finished with 10 points apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The first half was tied 6-6 before MCLA used a 9-0 run to open up a 15-6 with just over 13 minutes remaining in the half.
• The Trailblazers led by as many as 12, 26-14, on Ki-Shawn Monroe layup with 5:34 on the clock.
• The Rams rattled off a 9-0 run of their own capped by a three point play from McCloud-Thomas and a Gordon-Anderson layup to pull within three, 26-23, but a three from Bird sent the visitors to the locker room leading 29-23 at the half.
• The Rams came out in the second half with a 7-0 run capped by a Kalton jumper to take a 30-29 lead with just under three minutes off the clock.
• The two teams would trade points and the lead over the next 12 minutes with neither team leading by more than four over the stretch.
• With the game tied at 54-54 with 5:15 on the clock, the Trailblazers would take the lead for the final time on a Monroe layup.
• MCLA led 58-55 on Gittens layup with 2:56 on the clock, but the Rams would close the gap back to one on a Gordon-Anderson bucket.
• MCLA pushed the lead back to three with 1:05 on the clock, but the Rams once again closed the gap to one, 62-61, on a Tyri Hampton (Fitchburg, Mass.) layup with 41.6 on the clock.
• A three point play from Yearsley with 23.2 on the clock pushed the lead to four, but a Kalton three with 13.7 pulled the Rams back within one, 65-64.
• The Rams were forced to foul and MCLA made both with 8.7 remaining. The Rams had one final look at the game-tying three, but the shot fell short.

UP NEXT:                   

The Rams are back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Salem State at 7 p.m., while the Trailblazers travel to Worcester State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.