Men’s basketball defeats MCLA in overtime thriller

By Izabela Gage Sports Editor After a tight contest for the lead, the Framingham State Rams were strong in overtime to come out on top over the MCLA Trailblazers 86-81 in home court MASCAC action Feb. 14. This win evens their conference record to 6-6 and brings their overall record to 13-10. Junior Lorenzo Washington said, “Being 6-6 in conference puts us right in the mix. It resets the mindset. Now, it’s about momentum and peaking at the right time. We know every game matters from here on out, so this win gives us confidence heading into the playoffs.” The Trailblazers took the early lead after making a 3-point jump shot less than 30 seconds into the game. After over a minute of uneventful play by both teams, junior Fallou Koite and Washington both made layups on consecutive Rams’ possessions. Washington was fouled by MCLA’s defense, earning another point for Framingham. Trailblazer Colin Quinn made another 3-point jump shot to put MCLA ahead 6-5. Junior Joshua Saint Jean earned 2 points for the Rams on a layup, but the Trailblazers responded with one of their own to keep the lead. On the following play, Saint Jean was fouled, and he easily sank both free throws. Less than 25 seconds later, MCLA scored on a jump shot to gain the lead once again, 10-9. MCLA’s Jaxen Potter and Saint Jean both made layups, and senior Vondre Chase drained a 3-pointer, assisted by Washington, bringing the score to 14-12. The Trailblazers did not let the Rams stay in the lead for long, scoring on a 3-pointer of their own only two plays later. After unsuccessful drives from both teams, Saint Jean and Potter both scored on layups, and MCLA remained up by one. Just over a minute later, junior Isiah Alexander made a steal before the Trailblazers fouled Koite, who made both free throws to take the lead. Washington increased the margin for Framingham on the next play with a layup, bringing the score to 20-17. A foul by the Rams gave the Trailblazers an opportunity to close the gap, but only one of the two awarded free throws resulted in a point. Koite, assisted by junior Makyle Hayes, extended the lead on the next drive with a 3-point jump shot. Framingham started to gain momentum, and Koite made another 3-pointer to put the Rams ahead 26-18. Potter scored on a layup, putting 2 more points on the board for the Trailblazers. Another foul by Framingham gave MCLA’s Craig Williams two free throws, both of which he made, to bring the score to 26-22. Saint Jean was fouled less than 30 seconds later, and he sank both free throws to take a 6-point lead. Williams made another 2 points for the Trailblazers on a layup, and after a Rams’ foul, MCLA shrank the deficit to 28-26 with two successful free throws. With 3-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half, Saint Jean was fouled and made both free throw shots. After a turnover by the Trailblazers, Alexander scored on a layup, extending the Rams’ lead to 32-26. On the ensuing drives, Williams and Koite each earned 2 points on layups for their respective teams, bringing the score to 34-28. MCLA worked to close the gap and scored on another layup, but a subsequent foul on Koite gave him two free throw attempts, both of which he made, preserving the Rams’ 6-point lead. Williams made a 3-pointer for MCLA, and the first half ended with the Rams up 36-33. Koite scored on a layup less than a minute into the second half. After a missed layup by the Trailblazers, Saint Jean earned 2 points on one of his own. MCLA tried to close the gap with a 3-point jump shot and a layup, but Alexander drained a 3-pointer to keep Framingham in the lead 43-38. The next 2-and-a-half minutes were quiet for both teams until Chase sank another 3-pointer for the Rams. But the Trailblazers did not let it go unanswered, scoring one of their own only 11 seconds later. On the next drive, Chase was fouled on a layup, and he made the free throw, giving the Rams an 8-point lead, 49-41. Williams matched Chase’s effort with a layup for MCLA on the next play, but was fouled and made the awarded free throw. The Trailblazers fouled Koite, and he converted both shots to points for the Rams. Washington kept the momentum going, scoring on a layup and putting Framingham up by 9, 53-44. Both teams didn’t put any points on the board for the next 2 minutes, until MCLA’s Colby Burleson made a 3-pointer. Alexander answered with one of his own, maintaining Framingham’s lead. On the next drive, the Trailblazers scored on a layup, and due to a foul by the Rams, they earned a free throw shot, which was successful. Washington worked the ball down the court, and from his pass, Saint Jean made the layup, bringing the score to 58-50. Burleson made a layup for the Trailblazers, but graduate student AJ Thompson answered with one of his own on the Rams’ next possession, keeping an 8-point lead. Just over a minute later, MCLA committed another foul, and Chase made one of his two free throws. With 6-and-a-half minutes left in the game, Thompson gained possession off a rebound. He passed it to Washington, who moved the ball down the court before sending it to Saint Jean, who dunked it into the basket, making the score 63-52. Quinn made a 3-pointer for the Trailblazers, and after a few uneventful drives from both teams, Williams was fouled and scored on both awarded free throws. The Rams gained possession, and Alexander connected a quick pass to Saint Jean, who went for a layup, putting Framingham up by 8 once again. MCLA responded with a layup of their own by Williams, but Saint Jean kept the Trailblazers at bay with another dunk, assisted by Washington, on the following play. Another 3-pointer by Quinn contributed to the Trailblazers’ comeback, but Koite drained one of his own less than 30 seconds later. The Trailblazers scored on another 3-point shot, which kick-started some renewed energy with just over 3 minutes left in the half. MCLA’s Kamau Franks made two free throws, and on the next play for the Trailblazers, Quinn scored on a layup as he was fouled by Framingham. He then scored on the free throw shot, successfully tying the score 70-70. Saint Jean earned two free throws on the Rams’ next possession, and he easily made both, but the Trailblazers made a layup 15 seconds later to tie it once again. Hayes was fouled by MCLA, and he scored on one of the two free throws, reclaiming the Rams’ lead. Quinn made another 3-pointer for the Trailblazers, though, gaining a 2-point lead for MCLA for the first time since the start of the game. With 18 seconds left in regulation, Hayes made a clutch layup to tie the score once again, sending the game into overtime. Williams scored on a layup 15 seconds into overtime, but Saint Jean was fouled 30 seconds later, and he earned points on both free throws, tying the score 77-77. MCLA took the lead two plays later, though, as Framingham committed a foul and Franks scored on one of the two awarded shots. Junior Domonick Victor made a layup, and Hayes scored two points on free throws after being fouled, giving the Rams the lead 81-78. Hayes put two more points on the board on a layup, and the Trailblazers fouled Washington, who made both free throw shots. With Framingham up by 7, Williams drained a 3-pointer in an effort to close the gap with 25 seconds remaining in the game. Washington was fouled once again, and he made one of the two shots to end the game with a score of 86-81. Washington said, “We stayed disciplined. MCLA runs their sets well, so it was important for us to communicate and contest every shot. In overtime, we locked in even more defensively and focused on getting one stop at a time. Offensively, we slowed down, executed our plays, and trusted each other. We didn’t try to do too much - we just stuck to what works and stayed composed. “An overtime win builds toughness. It shows we can handle pressure and finish games,” he added. Koite said, “We know MCLA has good offense and they move a lot, so we had to stick to our principles and stay locked into what they do.” Most recently, the Rams fell to the Bridgewater State Bears 74-69 in another conference matchup Feb. 18. This win brings their conference record to 6-7 and their overall record to 13-11. The Rams host the Anna Maria Amcats for their last conference game of the regular season Feb. 21. Washington said going into the postseason, the team is “focusing on consistency, details, and effort. The little things win games this time of year - rebounding, defense, and communication.” Koite said the team’s goal is to earn a spot in the MASCAC Championship game. Washington said, “We want teams in the MASCAC to know we compete every possession and we’re not an easy matchup. We’re building toward something bigger, and we plan to finish strong.”