Men's Basketball Breaks into Win Column with 87-77 Triumph over Regis

Weston, Mass. – The Framingham State University men's basketball team saw five players record double figures led by 17 points from junior James Purcell as the Rams secured their first victory of the season this evening defeating Regis College 87-77 in non-conference action at Higgins Court.

THE BASICS:

- Scores:   Framingham State 87, Regis 77

- Records: Framingham State (1-7), Regis (1-4)

- Location:  Higgins Court – Weston, Mass.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Purcell paced the Rams offense with 17 points and three rebounds. Purcell connected on 7-of-9 from the floor for the game.
• Junior Cameren McCloud-Thomas chipped in with 16 points off the bench and added six boards, two steals and two blocks. McCloud-Thomas also connected on 7-of-9 from the field in the game.
• Sophomores Jared Gordon-Anderson and Tajahn Joyner chipped in with 14 points apiece. Joyner shot 7-of-13 from the floor and added five rebounds, five assists and a steal.  Gordon-Anderson tallied his 14 on 5-of-7 from the floor and added three rebounds and four assists.
• Senior Tyri Hampton chipped in 11 points and six rebounds, while Dominique Jenkins-Maxwell added eight points off the bench.
• For Regis Cam Wilkins shot 11-of-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line to lead all players with 28 points, while Marc Trinidad finished with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots.
• Devante Thompson collected 10 points, three rebounds, and four assists, and the Pride also received two three-pointers apiece from Dimitri Rosa and Justin Evelyn.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Framingham State took a 6-1 lead three minutes into the contest before Regis scored the next five points to tie the game at 6-6.
• Purcell made two layups as the Rams scored the next six points, but the Pride answered with seven unanswered points, capped by a traditional three-point play from Thompson to pull ahead, 13-12.
• The game continued to go back and forth in the first half with the majority of the game's seven ties and 12 lead changes coming before halftime.
• After a layup by Joyner tied the game at 35-35 with just over a minute remaining in the half, Wilkins converted on a traditional three-point play, and then he answered a layup by Purcell with one of his own to give Regis a 40-37 advantage at halftime.
• Regis opened the second half with a 9-4 scoring stretch, capped by a three-pointer from Rosa giving the Pride their biggest lead of the night at 49-41.
• The Rams rallied, putting together a 10-2 scoring run tying the game at 51-51 with 13:42 left in the second half.
• The Pride went back on top thanks to consecutive layups by Wilkins and Trinidad, but the Rams quickly responded with 10 straight points to open a 65-59 advantage.
• Regis closed to within three on two different occasions, but Framingham State eventually scored six unanswered points to extend its lead to nine at 77-68, and the two teams basically traded points the rest of the way.

UP NEXT:                   

The Rams are back in action next Wednesday when they travel to Pine Manor at 7 p.m.

Portions of release courtesy of Regis Sports Information