Men’s Basketball Pulls Out Dramatic Win Over Salem State
Framingham, Mass. - Senior forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, Mass.) converted a conventional three-point play with 39 second remaining in the game to lift the Framingham State College men's basketball team to a dramatic 73-70 victory over Salem State in Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball action tonight at Framingham's Athletic Center.
With the win, the Rams improve to 12-9 overall on the season and move into second place in the MASCAC at 7-3. The win is the 100th of his career for Framingham State College ninth year head coach Don Spellman. The Vikings fall to 7-14 with the loss and drop to third in the MASCAC standings at 6-3 in conference.
Tied at 58-58 with 8:21 remaining in the game, the Rams used an 8-0 run highlighted by two Almodovar buckets and a three from senior guard Billy Carey (Abington, Mass.) to open up the largest lead of the game for either team, 67-59, with 4:53 remaining.
Salem State responded with an 11-0 run of their own to take its largest lead of game, 70-67, with 2:11 left. Senior guard Brennan Bennett (Northbridge, Mass.) led the surge with five points, while the Viking defense forced three Ram turnovers during the run.
A Roderick Jackson (Cambridge, Mass.) free throw with 1:51 left pulled the Rams back within two. On the ensuing possession, senior forward Brendan Carter (South Boston, Mass.) blocked what would turn out to be the Vikings final shot of the contest with 1:34 remaining setting the stage for Almodovar's three point play to tie the game and give the Rams the 71-70 lead.
The Vikings turned the ball over four times in the final minute and a half as Jackson picked up two steals for the Rams and hit two from the line to seal the win.
Jackson led all scorers with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-14 from the floor to go along with seven boards and three steals for the Rams, while Almodovar added 16 points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Royce Veal (Dorchester, Mass.) also reached double figures with 12 points.
The Vikings were led by sophomore Brian Clark (Deerfield, Mass.) who had 14 points and eight boards, while Bennett finished with 13 including 7-of-11 from the line. Sophomore Tristan Shannon (Andover, Mass.) and freshman Terry Carter (Revere, Mass.) added ten points apiece.
The Rams return to action on Saturday as they travel to MCLA at 4 p.m., while the Vikings host Curry College on Thursday evening at 7 p.m.