Veal Leads Men's Basketball to 68-54 Win at Fitchburg State
Fitchburg, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's basketball team opened up conference action this afternoon with a 68-54 road victory over the Fitchburg State Falcons. The Rams improve to 4-7 overall on the season and 1-0 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action.
In the Rams first action since December, senior guard Royce Veal (Dorchester, Mass.) led Framingham State netting a game-high 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line. Freshman Yemi Ajao (Randolph, Mass.) aided Veal on the offensive attack with 11 points (4-of-5 shooting), while senior forward Brendan Carter (South Boston, Mass.) totaled seven points and a game-best 11 rebounds. Senior guard Anthony Pappagallo (Malden, Mass.) added nine points, while Marcus McLaurin (Braintree, Mass.) added eight.
Sophomore Zach Valliere (Douglas, Mass.) led the Fitchburg State offense this afternoon, totaling a team-high 14 points and five rebounds, while senior Elliot Knower (Baldwinville, Mass.) finished with 13 points, hitting 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Senior Robert Hopkins (East Hartford, Conn.) added 12 points off the bench for the Falcons to round out the Falcons in double-figures.
Despite trailing 30-28 at the break, Framingham State exploded for 40 points throughout the second half, shooting over 51% from the field to earn its fourth victory of the season. The Rams broke open the back and forth affair late in the period, posting a 7-0 run at the 2:59 mark for an eight point advantage. McLaurin sparked the Rams with five consecutive points, including a bucket from beyond the arc, while Veal added a lay-up and a pair of rebounds.
Down the stretch, the Rams continued to pad their lead as Papagallo drained a shot from long range and followed it up with lay-up just 15 seconds later. The Rams then iced the contest at the 2:05 mark as Veal converted a trio of free-throws for a commanding 67-53 advantage.
Fitchburg State was hampered in the second half by its 25% shooting from the floor, hitting only 7 of its 28 attempts from the field, including a 1-of-9 effort from three point range. Framingham State held a slim 40-37 margin on the glass, while forcing 14 Falcon turnovers.
Fitchburg State (3-9, 0-1 MASCAC) will be back in action next Saturday as it travels to Bridgewater State at 4 p.m. Framingham State will host Bridgewater State on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.