By Adam Levine
Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State Rams’ impressive shooting helped them secure a victory over the Elms College Blazers Nov. 15.
The Rams shot for 49.1% on 53 field goal attempts and made seven out of their 20 three-point field goal attempts, shooting for a strong 35% as a team. The Blazers shot 39.7% from the field and just 8.7% from beyond the arc, only making two of their 23 three-point field goal attempts.
Just a few minutes after tipoff, with a score of 6-6, the game was tied for the third time. The Rams’ sophomore Ryan England gave Framingahm the lead with the first successful three-point attempt of the night.
After this, the Rams never gave up their lead as they soared to victory.
Despite Framingham’s lead, Elms kept the game close for the next 5 minutes.
With 11:49 left in the first half, Framingham made three of their next four three-point attempts and went on a 9-0 scoring run. The Rams were firing on all cylinders and they extended their lead to 14 points.
The Elms’ Jacob Edgardo Cancel scored two points and stopped Framingham’s run.
The Rams now led 26-14.
With 7:20 remaining in the first half, Rams sophomore JD Okafor’s stunning performance sparked another Rams’ scoring run. He was fouled on a successful layup and made his free throw attempt, resulting in a momentous three-point play.
Framingham controlled the next four minutes and scored 11 unanswered points, which increased the score to 40-16.
The Blazers were able to outscore the Rams 7-3 in the final 3 minutes of the half.
The Rams led the Blazers 43-23.
Framingham and Elms began the second half by trading points.
With 7:24 left in the game and the Blazers losing 64-43, the Blazers launched a notable 9-0 scoring run in less than 2 minutes.
The Rams’ freshman Julius Goines stopped the Blazers’ comeback by capitalizing on two free throw shots.
Just 32 seconds after making a free throw, Goines grabbed an offensive rebound and made a layup on the Rams’ second chance opportunity.
After Goines was aggressively fouled on the play, the referee called a double technical foul on Goines and Blazers’ Dominique Threatt.
Goines’ technical foul sent him to the bench after reaching his foul limit. He ended the night with an impressive stat line of 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Elms crept back and decreased the deficit to 11 points with 3:13 remaining on the clock.
With 2:47 left in the game, England made his third three-point attempt of the night and increased the score to 71-57 in favor of the Rams.
Both coaches closed out the last 48 seconds of the game by benching their starters and clearing their reserves off of the bench.
Elms outscored Framingham 40-35 in the second half, but Framingham’s stellar first half performance helped them obtain a 78-63 victory.
Okafor played for 30 minutes and led the team by scoring 23 out of Framingham’s 78 total points. He said, “I am happy I could perform to help my team get the victory.”
The Rams now hold a record of 2-1 this season. Okafor said, “I really am confident in this team.”
Framingham will travel to face Western New England for a non-conference matchup Nov. 18.