By Daniel Meade
Staff Writer
The Framingham State Rams fell to the Roger Williams University Hawks 70-54 Nov. 20. With the loss, Framingham’s overall record falls to 4-2 on the season.
Framingham entered the game on a three-game winning streak. However, this game presented the Rams with a tough task - slowing down Hawks’ star guard Mac Annus, who averaged 24.5 points per game coming in, and a team that averages 96 points per game and went to the NCAA Tournament last year.
Halfway through the first half, the score was 20-18 Hawks. The Rams’ defense was able to slow down the offense of the Hawks, hoping their offense would capitalize on the other end.
Unfortunately, they were unable to do so. A series of buckets by the Hawks, capped off by a 3-point shot by Annus with 3 seconds left in the half gave the Hawks a 40-28 lead. Annus led the team with 15 points.
The Rams struggled offensively with the team making only 11 shots in the first half and committing 10 turnovers. Their highest scorer was senior captain Adonis Vashon with 7 points.
Framingham got on the board first to start the second half with freshman forward Marshall Kerley making a 3-point shot to make the score 40-31 Hawks.
The Hawks responded quickly by going on a 7-0 run to give them a 16-point lead before Framingham called a timeout with 15:04 left.
Vashon made a layup coming out of the timeout, hoping it could spark a run for his team. However, the deficit proved too large for the Rams to overcome. Their offense continued to have a rough shooting night and the Hawks capitalized on defensive breakdowns.
“We game-planned to cut off their back doors, and so that gives them open threes. We had to talk more, and we did not do that tonight, and they had a lot of open looks,” Vashon said.
The Hawks’ lead stretched to 20 points, with Annus scoring his final 8 points before heading to the bench with the score 62-42 Hawks with 6:49 remaining in the game. He finished with 28 points in 28 minutes.
“A guy who can knock down shots, make the right cut, and make the right read definitely makes it tough to play against,” Vashon said of Annus.
Framingham ended the game on a 12-8 run, making the final score 70-54. Despite the loss, the Rams held the Hawks to their lowest-scoring game of the season.
While the Rams were able to slow down the offense for the Hawks, it was their offense that took a step back in this game - a sentiment echoed by Head Coach Donald Morris Jr.
“I think the problem is that we were too stagnant with the ball, and we spent so much time working on slowing them down that we started to play slowly,” Morris said.
Their 54-point performance was their lowest of the season so far. The team shot 34% overall and 26% from three-point range.
Framingham hopes to look ahead to their next game. Vashon said, “I want us to leave this one behind. Next game, I want to bring more energy for sure. We can improve on all fronts.”
Morris said, “We cannot let one game dictate the next four or five games, especially with a young team where there will be highs and lows. We let one slip away today, but on Saturday, we are going to come in, and we are ready to go get back on the winning side.”
The Rams will try to bounce back on Nov. 23 at 12 p.m. versus Lesley University.