Worcester State Edges Men’s Basketball in MASCAC Action
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's basketball team was narrowly defeated 41-37 this evening by Worcester State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Center.
With the win, the Lancers improve to 5-14 on the year and 2-4 in the MASCAC, while the loss drops the Rams to 5-12 overall and 0-6 in the conference
In a first half that saw the two teams combine to shoot 20% from the floor (9-46), the Lancers led 14-13 at the half on a banked three from the top of the key by senior Brendan Rios (Easthampton, Mass.).
In a second half that saw the lead change hands four times and a pair of ties, the Lancers used a 10-0 run late in the half to take the game's largest lead, 35-27, with just over four minutes remaining.
The Rams cut the lead down to three on a trifecta from junior Tim McCarthy (Wilmington, Mass.) with 41.5 left in the game. The Rams fouled and the Lancers made one of two pushing the lead back to four.
On their ensuing possession the Rams had three good looks at the hoop and corralled their each of their own misses before calling a timeout. After the timeout, McCarthy hit a lay-up in traffic with 5.1 remaining cutting the lead back to two, but a pair of Lancer free throws sealed the victory.
McCarthy led the Rams with a game-high 13 points, five rebounds and two steals, while sophomore Daniel Gould (Quincy, Mass.) finished with eight points.
The Lancers were led by nine points and nine boards from sophomore center Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.). Senior Charles Gunter (Boston, Mass.) finished with seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds including four on the offensive end.
The Lancers finished the game shooting 27% from the floor (12-44), while the Rams connected on just 23% of their offerings (11-47). Worcester held a slim 14-10 advantage in the paint, while the Rams held a 14-9 edge in bench points.
The Rams are back in action Saturday afternoon when they travel to Westfield State University for a MASCAC contest beginning at 3 p.m., while the Lancers host MCLA on February 3rd at 8 p.m.