Lancers Fight Back to Defeat Men’s Basketball; 59-55
Framingham, Mass.- The Framingham State men's basketball team fell to Worcester State by a score of 59-55 on Saturday afternoon in Framingham. With the win the Lancers move to 4-13 and 2-3 in league play. The Rams are now 6-12 and 3-2 in the MASCAC.
The Lancers were led offensively by Aaron Anniballi (Milford, Mass.) who scored 20 points going 7-of-11 from the field. Cal Howes (Maynard, Mass.) added ten points and Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) added nine points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
The Rams were paced by Daniel Gould (Quincy, Mass) who scored a team-high 15 points shooting 5-of-6 from long range. Tyri Hampton (Fitchburg, Mass.) added 14 points and Manny Payton (Fitchburg, Mass.) had 10 points for the Rams.
The two teams played a back-and-forth first half seeing six lead changes and three ties. The Rams forced a tie to head into the locker room on a last second layup by Charles Valbrun (Hyde Park, Mass.) after gobbling up a loose ball to knot the game at 23.
The back-and-forth play continued into the second half but the Rams were able to build their lead up to nine, 44-35 on one of Gould's 5 treys just around halfway through the period. The Lancers then fought back eventually tying the contest at 50-50 on a three-pointer by Ryan DiBernardo (Springfield, Mass.) with just under five minutes to play.
After trading baskets a Daniel Gould (Quincy, Mass.) trey gave the Rams a three point lead but once again the Lancers responded. Anniballi hit a layup and three-pointer on consecutive possessions to go ahead 57-55 with just over 30 second to play. The Lancers made 3-of-4 of their shots from the stripe in the final minute to seal the victory.
The Rams shot 32.8% from the field and 33.3% from long-range. The Lancers were 47.6% from the floor and 21.4% from beyond the arc.
Framingham State returns to the hardwood on Wednesday, January 25th when they host Fitchburg State in MASCAC play. The Lancers are in action the same day when they host Westfield State.