Men’s basketball takes victory over Dean College

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST

By Avery Slavin Staff Writer The Framingham State Rams were victorious over the Dean College Bulldogs in a non-conference matchup Dec. 3. This brings their overall record to 5-4. After an unsuccessful attempt at a 3-pointer from junior Ja’Quin Taylor, junior Joshua Saint Jean put the first two points on the board with a layup. After a missed layup and a failed 3-pointer attempt from Framingham, the Bulldogs made their first basket with a 3-pointer, putting them in the lead 3-2. The Rams retaliated and scored three points with a jumpshot by junior Fallou Koite, assisted by Taylor. Thirty seconds later, Dean tied the score with a layup. Taylor earned the Rams another three points, putting Framingham back in the lead. Koite made another 3-pointer before Dean was able to take possession of the ball and score one as well. Dean’s Xavier Boyd scored two points on free throws, and the Bulldogs surpassed the Rams by one point with a layup afterwards. Neither team scored for the next two minutes until graduate student AJ Thompson assisted junior Isiah Alexander in a 3-pointer. Junior Lorenzo Washington scored on a free throw, but the Bulldogs were able to tie the score with a 3-pointer. After Framingham scored on a jump shot and a layup, the score was brought to 20-15 and Dean began to fight back. Senior Vondre Chase made a layup, and the Bulldogs came back with a jump shot. Still trailing after a free throw by Koite, Dean scored on a layup. Twenty seconds later, Koite struck back with a layup of his own. Dean scored on a jump shot, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Rams, especially after Chase made two free throws. After one last attempt to get ahead of Framingham, Dean scored on a layup, and the first half ended with a score of 29-25 in favor of the Rams. Starting off the second half, Koite scored on a layup. Dean fought back, also scoring on a layup, but missed their next two layup attempts. Being fouled by the Bulldogs, Koite earned two points on free throws. Eight seconds later, the Bulldogs were successful on a layup, but Koite earned two more points on free throws after being fouled again. Dean started catching up to Framingham, scoring on a layup and a 3-pointer. With a 35-34 score, the Rams continued to hold up under the pressure from Dean. Washington scored on two free throws. Following that, though, the Bulldogs also earned two points on free throws. With Dean still behind by one point, Alexander and Koite scored on 3-pointers, widening the Rams’ lead. Continuing to ride this wave of momentum, Saint Jean and Koite scored points on layups, and Saint Jean made two free throws. Even with a jump shot, free throw, and two 3-pointers from Dean, they still couldn’t catch up to the Rams. Junior Domonick Victor scored on two free throws, and Dean scored on one. Victor made a 3-pointer, the Bulldogs made a layup, and junior Makyle Hayes made a free throw. After a timeout from Framingham, Dean made a jump shot and brought the score to 55-54, still in favor of the Rams. Washington and Alexander scored two points each, and Saint Jean scored two free throws. Koite made a 3-pointer and kept the Rams 10 points ahead, and three layups later, Dean just couldn’t keep up. Saint Jean made a dunk and two free throws. In the last minute of the game, Koite made three free throws and the game ended with a score of 77-65. Junior Dyree Rogers said, “The team has proved to be tough and gritty. We have a group of fearless competitors that strap in on defense. As we continue our season, we’re working to become a better shooting team and build overall trust with each other. We’re a relatively new group, but we know our talents and capabilities, and I know we’ll continue to get better the more we play together. “The only thing stopping us is us,” he added. Framingham defeated the Elms College Blazers 70-54 in a non-conference matchup Dec. 4. The Rams travel to New England College for a non-conference matchup on Dec. 9.