By Tyler Wahl
The Rams Men’s Basketball team dealt with a heartbreaking loss Tuesday night, Dec. 7, falling short to
Fisher College 73-65.
Framingham State looked to capitalize on the momentum they gained from their previous close win over Lesley earlier that weekend.
The game started out ugly, as Fisher easily gained an 11-point lead over the Rams, forcing the team to take a much-needed timeout.
Fisher College played with incredible speed and ball movement, and the Rams didn’t seem prepared for their pacing at the start of the game.
The Falcons didn’t take their foot off the gas. They led by as many as 16 points midway through the first half.
A beautiful jumper from senior small forward Keith Hollman and offensive contributions from
sophomore guard Brett Okundaye brought the Rams within seven points from taking the lead.
Despite the Rams becoming more comfortable against Fisher as the game progressed, the Falcons were still able to hold on to their lead for the duration of the first half.
Another important aspect to Fisher’s dominance throughout the game was their three-point shooting.
The Falcons shot an astounding 50% from behind the three-point line and continuously proved that then Rams had to play tight defense in order to compete with their hot hand.
First-year Head Coach Donald Morris Jr. said, “One of the biggest things we’ve been working on in practice is breaking ball pressure, but also being able to recognize when a team’s defenses change on the fly.”
While there have been some significant improvements to the Rams offense since the start of the season, the team needs to fiigure out how to create more spacing.
Framingham State shot 25% from behind the arc, and if they begin to read defenses like they work on in practice, that percentage will undoubtedly skyrocket.
The Rams showed improvement in their overall gameplay in the second half after finishing the first half down 13 points.
They shot better from three-point range, drew more fouls, and forced turnovers that eventually resulted in fastbreak buckets.
Unfortunately for the Rams, their improved performance came too late as the Falcons consistently led by double digits the majority of the second half.
Although this game will go down as a loss for their overall record on the season, it showed the team exactly what they need to focus on.
After the game, Morris Jr. added, “The big key to getting victories is handling ball pressure, rebounding the basketball, controlling the interior, and taking steps forward to becoming better each and every day.”
If the team can work on those aspects of their game, then a turnaround for their season is just around the corner.
Hollman finished as the top scorer for the Rams, ending with a total of 15 points and five rebounds.
Junior guard Jalen Bruce finished with the most assists for the team with seven, and also contributed 12 points for FSU.
The Rams Men’s Basketball team looks to push their record to 3-10 after winter break against
Bridgewater State Jan. 5.