Last Second Basket Lifts Men’s Basketball Over Anna Maria
Framingham, Mass. - Senior forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, Mass.) drained a jumper in the paint with 1.2 seconds remaining to give the Framingham State College men's basketball team a 70-68 win over Anna Maria College this afternoon in non-conference action. With the win, the Rams improve to 3-5 on the season, while Amcats move to 2-5.
Anna Maria came out on fire as they opened the game on a 9-0 run over the first three minutes. They opened up a 12 point lead, their largest of the game, at 14-6 on two free throws from guard Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, Mass.) with 14:03 remaining in the half.
The Rams chipped away at the Amcats lead and evened the score at 32-32 with 2:08 remaining in the half on a jumper from Almodovar. Anna Maria junior guard Chris Pinsonault (Marlboro, Mass.) hit a layup at the buzzer to give the Amcats a two point lead (37-35) at the break. Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) and Pinsonault led the Amcats with nine and eight points in the first half, while Almodovar led the Rams with eight.
The two teams traded the lead back and forth over the first ten minutes of the second half before Anna Maria used a 9-4 run capped by a three pointer from Jeremy Ross (Holden, Mass.) to open up a five point lead, 58-53, with 7:11 remaining in the game.
The Rams responded with a 7-2 run of their own and tied the game at 60-60 on a put back from senior center Roderick Jackson (Cambridge, Mass.) with 4:04 remaining.
The game would go back and forth over the next three minutes with neither team holding a lead larger than two points and the score being tied three times.
After a Ryan Joyal (Marlboro, Mass.) free throw tied the game at 67-67 with 1:09 remaining, a Jackson free throw gave the Rams a one point lead, 68-67, with 51 seconds. Jackson missed the second but Almodovar grabbed the rebound giving the Rams the lead and the ball with 49 seconds left.
After a timeout, Anna Maria freshman Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) stole the ball and had a chance to break away, but the Rams committed a foul giving Click two shots. Click sank one of two to tie the game at 68-68 with 18 seconds left setting the stage for Almodovar's jumper with 1.2 left giving the Rams the win.
Almodovar and Jackson led the Rams as each posted a double double. Almovdovar had 13 points and 11 boards, while Jackson added 12 points and 12 boards including eight offensive rebounds. Darius Yarrell (Brockton, Mass.) added 12 points and four assists, while Royce Veal (Dorchester, Mass.) added 10 points and four boards.
Pinsonault led all scorers with a game-high 17 points and seven rebounds. De La Hoz and Johnson chipped in 13 points apiece, while Click finished with 10 points and four steals.
The Rams return to action on Tuesday night as they travel to Williams at 7 p.m., while the Amcats play in the Thomas College Tournament next Friday and Saturday.