Men’s Basketball Falls to Western Connecticut 78-73
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's basketball team encountered a hot-shooting Western Connecticut State University team this evening and were defeated 78-73 in non-conference action at Framingham's Athletic Center. With the win, the Colonials improve to 7-1 on the season, while the Rams are now 4-6.
The first half saw four ties and seven lead changes as the Colonials rode their hot shooting from behind the arc to a 43-35 halftime edge. Seven of the Colonials first 10 field goals in the game came from three point range and with 6:20 remaining in the first half they were shooting 82% from behind the arc.
The Colonials finished the first half shooting 57% from the floor (16-28) and 69% from three point range (11-16) with guards Michael Jensen (Gales Ferry, Conn.) and DaQuan Brooks (Atlanta, GA) combining for 28 first half points with each connecting on four from long range.
The Rams were able to hang with the Colonials in the first half as they outscored them 16-8 in the paint and were 9-of-9 from the line while the Colonials did not attempt a first half free throw. Sophomore Tyrone Figueroa (Revere, Mass.) and senior Marcus McLaurin (Braintree, Mass.) scored nine points apiece for the Rams.
Framingham State started the second half strong with a 10-1 run over the first three minutes to pull within one, 45-44, on a McLaurin three. Senior guard Allen Saint-Surin (Brockton, Mass.) fueled the run for the Rams with four points.
The Rams tied the score at 50-50 on a fastbreak layup from Saint-Surin off a Figueroa feed with 13:07 left and the game would remain tight over the next three minutes with neither team holding a lead larger than one.
With the Rams leading 57-56 with just over ten minutes remaining, the Colonials used an 11-2 spurt to open up an eight point advantage (67-59) and take the lead for good.
The Rams were able to pull within five (72-67) with 1:16 remaining on a McLaurin driving layup, but the Colonials were able to hold on for the victory as Jensen sank 4-of-4 from the line in the final minute.
Brooks led four Colonials in double figures with a game-high 22 points including 5-of-9 from behind the arc to go along with five assists, three boards and a pair of steals. Jensen finished the night with 18 points, while Luis Bridtter (Stamford, Conn.) and Michael Kennedy (Newtown, Conn.) chipped in 10 apiece.
The Rams were led offensively by McLaurin and Saint-Surin who finished with 16 points apiece, while Figueroa added 15. Figueroa just missed a double double as he grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, while Saint-Surin grabbed seven. Sophomore forward Yemi Ajoa (Randolph, Mass.) also recoded double figures with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Colonials cooled off from long range in the second half connecting on only 1-of-7 in the frame (14.3%), but they still shot 52% from three (12-23) for the game and 49% overall from the floor (28-57). The Rams shot 42% from the floor for the game (27-65) and held a 42-26 advantage in points in the paint.
The Rams return to action on Saturday when they close the first half of the season on the road at Mount Ida at 1 p.m., while the Colonials host Southern Maine on Saturday at 3 p.m.