By Adam Levine
Sports Editor
The Framingham State Rams dominated another week of MASCAC matchups with a 75-30 victory over the MCLA Trailblazers Feb. 10 and an 88-58 victory over the Worcester State Lancers Feb. 14.
Framingham is currently on a nine-game win streak, which helped secure them the MASCAC Regular Season Title.
The Rams dictated the pace of the game from the first whistle against MCLA.
Led by veteran fifth-year Flannery O’Connor, the Rams started the game by scoring 15 unanswered points in 5 minutes.
O’Connor scored 13 of those points, single-handedly scoring the first 11 of the game.
She finished with a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes of play - a decrease from her 29.7 minutes per game for the season.
After the win, O’Connor said, “I think it was all around a great win and I think we did well.”
She added the game was a good opportunity for the entire team to gain experience in MASCAC matchups.
The Rams dominated the first half and held a 45-6 lead at halftime, only allowing 4 and 2 points in the first and second quarter, respectively.
Framingham took their foot off the gas in the second half. The Rams’ starting five played only 3 minutes in the third quarter and sat out for the entirety of the fourth quarter, making space for the freshmen to take the court.
By the end of the game, all 14 members of the team scored a point.
Freshman Bridget Capone led the freshmen in minutes played in the matchup against MCLA, recording a career-high 18 minutes.
Capone said it was a “great experience” and she continues to learn by playing with veteran teammates.
“Being able to play with those girls that are so good and have so much experience makes us better - it makes being on the team even better,” she said.
Framingham’s stellar first-half performance propelled them to a 75-30 victory over MCLA.
The Rams earned another MASCAC victory with an 88-58 win over the Worcester State Lancers Feb. 14.
This was Framingham’s second-highest scoring game, falling second to their 97-56 victory over nonconference opponent Curry College Dec. 9.
Junior Katie Haselton led the Rams in their most-recent victory.
Haselton scored a game-high 20 points, tying her season high. She also recorded nine rebounds, which tied her season and career high, previously set during their 74-52 win over Westfield State Jan. 3.
Haselton said her performance came from “really just continuing to go 110%, focused while remaining calm, taking what the defense gives me without forcing anything and taking it strong to the hoop.”
She said, “Throughout this season, I’ve taken whatever role coach wants from me and I’ll do it to the best of my ability. Every single one of us has important roles that have resulted in our dominant season. We just all have to do our jobs!
“I just focus on stopping the other team from putting the ball in the basket and our offense will flow from our defense,” Haselton added.
As was the case with their win against MCLA, the Rams outscored the Lancers during every quarter. The Rams beat the Lancers 88-58.
On the same night, MASCAC-rival Bridgewater State dropped their matchup to Westfield State.
Bridgewater’s loss dropped their MASCAC record to 10-2, which secured the MASCAC Regular Season Title for the Rams.
This is Framingham’s third title in four seasons. They earned the title during the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons. Each of these seasons, the Rams went on to win the MASCAC Tournament.
Haselton said, “It was awesome for us to win the MASCAC Regular Season Title again, but we still have business to take care of.
“We are confident moving forward. We all have the same goal and just continue to work hard and give our all every single day,” she added.
Gwendolyn Carpenter, another veteran fifth-year player for the Rams, said she feels she took on a “leadership role in showing our team the right way to win” this season.
Carpenter currently leads the team in minutes per game (35.0) and assists per game (7.1). She also ranks first in the MASCAC in assists per game and second in the MASCAC in 3-point percentage (38.6), trailing only teammate Chloe Rayko (40.8).
Carpenter said, “Leading both on and off the court has been important in our chemistry as a team this year, and it shows in our performance.”
The Rams host the Fitchburg State Falcons in a MASCAC matchup for their final game of the regular season Feb. 17.
Framingham beat the Falcons 83-41 in their previous matchup Jan. 24.
As the MASCAC Regular Season Champions, the Rams received a first-round bye and will host one of the tournament semifinal games Feb. 22.
Carpenter said, “To win a regular season title is huge! Especially when it comes to tournament seeding and home court advantage, it was really important for us to win the important games.”
The Rams proved dominant in home matchups and currently hold a perfect 10-0 home record. As the top seed for the MASCAC Tournament, Framingham will host all of their games.
“We have been preparing for the tournament since we started playing conference games in the beginning of January. We all have the same goal in mind and are looking forward to next week!” Carpenter said.