Men's Basketball Picks up 96-82 Win Over Western New England
Springfield, Mass. - Senior forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, Mass.) scored 30 points to lead the Framingham State College men's basketball team to a 96-82 victory over Western New England College in the third-place game of the Golden Bears Hoop Classic Saturday afternoon. This was the first win of the season for the Rams who are now 1-2.
Senior guards Chad Dixon (Brockton, Mass.) and Billy Carey (Abington, Mass.) added 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Western New England College took an early 19-11 lead before Framingham State used a 16-1 run to take a 48-32 halftime advantage. Carey keyed the first half comeback by making all four of his three-point attempts.
The Golden Bears didn't quit gradually chipping away at the lead using a 14-5 run to get within 57-54 following a free throw by senior guard Rick Johnson (Springfield, Mass.) with 12:25 left. Johnson scored on a lay-up that pulled the hosts within two at 63-61 with 9:18 remaining.
The Rams maintained their lead and had a five-point edge at 78-73 before breaking the game open with 10 unanswered points.
Almodovar also pulled down eight rebounds and made all eight of his foul shots. He also had two assists and two steals.
Johnson finished with a game and career-high 31 points making 13-of-18 field goal attempts. He also grabbed eight rebounds and had a pair of steals.
Western New England College also had two other players in double figures as junior forward Brad Thomka (Springfield, Mass.) tallied 16 points with five blocks and three steals. Junior guard Andre Duncan (Bronx, N.Y.) contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Rams return to action on Tuesday night as they host WPI at 7 p.m.