Men's Basketball Beats Williams at the Buzzer
Framingham, MA - Junior point guard Darius Yarrell (Brockton, MA) drilled a three as time expired to lift the Framingham State Rams to a 65-62 non-conference win over the Williams College Ephs tonight at Framingham's Athletic Center. With the win, the Rams even their record at 4-4, while the Ephs are now 5-2.
The Rams defense held the Ephs to just 32.3% shooting from the floor for the game and only 23% from three-point range. The Rams shot 45.6% from the floor for the game and were 7 for 17 from three point range (41%).
After trading baskets and the lead over the first seven minutes of the second half, the Ephs held a two point lead at 43-41 with 12:52 remaining in the game. The Rams used an 18-5 run over the next seven minutes to open up an 11 point lead (59-48) with 6:11 remaining. Junior forward Roderick Jackson (Cambridge, MA), who led all scorers with 20 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the field, fueled the Rams run as he scored eight points over that stretch.
Jackson, who scored 14 points in the second half, fouled out with 4:02 remaining and the Rams leading 61-54. The Ephs cut the Rams lead to two on a lay up from senior guard Kevin Snyder (Littleton, CO) and a jumper from junior Blake Schultz (Atherton, CA) with 1:14 remaining.
The Rams turned the ball over on their next possession and fouled senior Michael Kearney (Washington, DC), who sank one of two freebies to pull the Ephs within one at 61-60 with 30 seconds remaining.
Junior guard Bill Carey (Abington, MA) was fouled after the inbounds pass and hit one of two to give the Rams a two point cushion. On the ensuing possession, the Rams fouled Snyder with 12.1 seconds left and he sank both free throws to tie the score at 62-62.
After a Williams College timeout, the Rams pushed the ball up the floor and junior guard Chad Dixon (Brockton, MA) penetrated and kicked the ball out to Yarrell for the game winner.
Yarrell finished the game with 13 points and four assists, while Dixon added 11 points. Junior forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, MA) struggled from the floor but finished with eight points and a game-high 11 boards. The Ephs were led by Snyder who finished with 15 points and five assists and Schultz who added 11 points and eight boards.
The Rams return to action on Friday as they play Green Mountain College at 8 p.m. in the opening round of the Crusader Classic hosted by Eastern Nazarene College, while the Ephs host SUNY New Paltz at 7:30 p.m. on December 9th.