Men's Basketball Overcomes 19-point Deficit to Defeat Emmanuel
Boston, Mass. – Framingham State University erased a 19-point first-half deficit to fight back and defeat Emmanuel College, 64-59, in a non-conference game played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Thursday night.
With the win, the Rams now stand at 6-2 on the season, while the host Saints drop to 1-4.
The Saints got out in front early, utilizing an 11-2 run to open the game. Backed by solid scoring from senior guard Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) and a three-pointer from classmate Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.), the Saints surged out in front, 21-11, by the seven-minute mark. Another Mailhot triple gave the Saints a 24-13 margin with five and a half to go in the half.
The Rams were forced to signal for a full timeout, trailing 26-13, following a baseline reverse move by Mailhot with four minutes to go in the half. A monster block by Everson with under two minutes left in the half, led to a bucket in transition from Brandon Jones (Windsor, Conn.) and the Saints extended their lead to 33-16. Mailhot connected on a layup on the break and Framingham senior Rico DePaolis (Watertown, Mass.) drained a baseline three to set the spread at 35-19 heading into the locker rooms at halftime.
The Rams struggled offensively in the first half, knocking down just seven field goals and shooting 28% in the opening frame. The Saints capitalized by going 13-25 (52%) from the floor over the same stretch.
The tables would turn in the second half. The Rams opened the half on a 6-0 run and cut their deficit to ten at 35-25. The Saints were able to hang on to their solid ten-point lead through the 14-minute mark, when senior Tyrone Figueroa (Revere, Mass.) grabbed an offensive board and drained the put-back to cut the Emmanuel lead to nine at 42-33.
A baseline three by Framingham rookie Joe McCabe (Canton, Mass.) at the 13-minute mark set the score at 44-36. Consecutive treys by Rams' guards Justin Bryan (Red Oak, Texas) and Figueroa trimmed the Emmanuel lead to two, 47-45.
A bucket down low by junior forward Yemi Ajao (Randolph, Mass.) gave the Rams their first lead of the night at 55-54 at just under five minutes left. Emmanuel regained control when Everson found Theo Robinson (Springfield, Mass.) in the paint for two.
Sophomore forward Andrea Santana (Worcester, Mass.) drained a key hoop on the break for the Rams to give the visitors the lead for good at 57-56 and just over three minutes remaining. Ajao was fouled on a put-back and converted the old-fashioned three-point play, giving Framingham a 60-56 lead. Everson hit a jumper in the key to keep it close with Emmanuel trailing by two, 60-58.
Both teams missed layups at either end in the final minute of play, but Framingham would seal the win on the free throw line, knocking down four for four from the line down the stretch. After a twenty-four point swing, the Rams would pull away with the 64-59 win.
A balanced scoring attack saw three Framingham players in double-figures, including Figueroa and Ajao with 17 points apiece and Santana with 12. Sanatana led the Rams on the glass with eight rebounds.
Emmanuel was led by a game-high 20-point effort from Mailhot, who drained 7 of 13 from the floor, including 3 of 6 from long-range. Everson added 16 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, while Jones chipped in the nine points in the effort.
The Saints will play at home again on Saturday, when they return to GNAC action to host the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University with a 1 p.m. Framingham extends its win streak to four games and will host Brandeis University at 8 p.m. on December 11th.
Release courtesy of Emmanuel Sports Information.