By Adam Levine
Sports Editor
The Framingham State Rams lost to the Worcester State Lancers by a score of 67-52 Feb. 18 at Logan Gymnasium.
Framingham honored their three graduating seniors - Josh Dumay, Juran Ligonde, and Marshall Martin - at the start of their final regular season game.
Each team had three players score in the double-digits. The Rams’ bench outscored the Lancers’ bench 27-17, but Worcester’s dominant second-half performance secured their victory.
Worcester scored the opening basket, but Framingham’s response kept them from maintaining a steady lead.
With 13:50 remaining of the first half, Worcester led with a 6-point lead over Framingham. The Lancers led with a score of 11-5, which was the largest lead by either team in the first half.
With 2:57 remaining in the first half, Martin scored his second 3-point shot in a row to give the Rams their first lead of the night. Framingham took a 23-20 lead over Worcester.
In the opening 13 minutes of the game, Martin and Ligonde had combined for 22 of Framingham’s 23 points. Martin and Ligonde each scored 11 points and the Rams’ JD Okafor scored the remaining 1 point.
After Martin’s 3-point shot, Worcester and Framingham alternated 3-point shots, scoring two each. The Rams’ Ivan Nyantenji made both of Framingham’s 3-point shots.
With less than 1 minute remaining of the first half, Ligonde made back-to-back free throws. This gave the Rams a 31-28 lead to end the first half.
The Lancers launched a 10-0 scoring run over the opening 6 minutes of the second half. Okafor scored a layup to halt the Lancers’ scoring, but the Lancers held a 38-33 lead over the Rams.
Worcester immediately launched another scoring run. In less than 2 minutes, Worcester scored 7 unanswered points and led 45-33.
With 7:40 remaining in the second half, Worcester held a steady 11-point lead. The Lancers continued to outscore the Rams for the remainder of the second half.
With 1:08 remaining of the second half, the Lancers held their largest lead of the game. They led by 17 points, by a score of 67-50.
In the final minute, Framingham’s Bryan Thompson made two free throws to close out the game.
The score read 67-52 and Worcester ended the game with a 15-point victory over the Rams.
The Rams concluded their season with an overall record of 5-20 and a conference record of 2-10.
The Rams did not make the playoffs this season, but are optimistic for next season.
Martin, who played his last game for Framingham, said, “I think this team is going in the right direction.
“I'm very confident that this team will be really good in this conference,” added Martin.
Framingham’s Head Coach, Donald Morris Jr., said, “We see the culture changing - guys are much more committed.
“To us that's a step in the right direction,” added Morris.