Women’s basketball defeats Amcats in regular season finale

By Izabela Gage Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams dominated the Anna Maria Amcats 77-51 in their Senior Day game, taking the win in their final regular-season matchup Feb. 21. This victory brings their conference record to 11-3 and their overall record to 15-10. Anna Maria opened the game by taking a 3-0 lead after scoring on a 3-point jump shot. The Rams answered confidently. After Captain Kelsey Yelle, a senior, missed a layup, Captain Abigail Martin, a senior, converted a layup to put the first points on the board for Framingham. A relentless sequence on the offensive glass followed, as Martin and sophomore Jacqueline Schels collected multiple rebounds before Schels finished a layup to give Framingham a 1-point lead. Free throws from junior Ava Mckeon pushed the Rams ahead 6-3, and although the Amcats briefly tied the score, Yelle responded with a layup off a Martin assist. Senior Kiara Cerruti later drained a 3-pointer to extend the margin, and added a jump shot to stretch the lead to 13-5. Freshman Zaria Anderson was fouled and made one of the two awarded free throws. Anna Maria’s Arianna Gonzalez scored on a layup and then made a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 14-10. Schels made two free throws, but the Amcats earned 2 points off free throws to narrow the score to 16-12. Yelle’s layup, assisted by freshman Zaria Anderson, brought the score to 18-12 before Anna Maria scored late to trim the lead to 18-14 at the end of the first quarter. In the second, Mckeon made two free throws to extend the lead to 20-14, and Cerruti buried another three-pointer to make it 23-14. Martin added three free throws off two fouls, and Mckeon later converted two more from the line, stretching the lead to 28-14. Anna Maria tried to stay within reach with free throws, but Martin scored on a layup to make it 30-16. The Amcats answered again with two earned free throws, but Anderson made two of her own to push the score to 32-18. The Amcats made two more free throws, but Yelle responded with a layup for a 14-point advantage. Martin added two more free throws to extend the lead to 36-20. Anna Maria made a three-pointer, but Anderson countered with a layup and a free throw. After another two free throws by the Amcats, Schels matched with two of her own, sending the Rams into halftime ahead 41-25. The third quarter began with Schels and Yelle adding two free throws each to extend the margin to 45-25. The Amcats gained a spark following a jump shot and a layup, but Yelle answered with another layup and a free throw, keeping the Rams comfortably in the lead 48-29. After Anna Maria scored on a jump shot, Schels made two more free throws. Martin added a layup for a 52-31 lead. Anna Maria put points on the board with a layup and one free throw, but freshman Evi Higgins responded with a layup. The Amcats tried to shrink the deficit with two more layups and a free throw, but Schels converted two free throws to give Framingham a 15-point edge. Cerruti then sank a jump shot just before the end of the third quarter to make it 58-41. In the fourth quarter, Yelle opened the scoring with a layup. Anna Maria answered with two jump shots, but Yelle made a free throw. The Amcats made three free throws of their own, and Yelle responded with a layup and two free throws to push the lead to 65-48. Cerruti then made a free throw to extend the margin to 66-48. Mckeon made another two free throws for the Rams, and after a three-pointer and a layup by Anna Maria, Cerruti responded with a 3-pointer of her own. Gonzalez was able to add two free throws with only 30 seconds remaining in the game, but by the final buzzer, the Rams secured a 71-55 victory to end their regular season. Martin tallied 11 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. She said she has “tried to step into more of an offense role this year while also creating opportunities for my teammates to thrive in those aspects as well!” Martin said, “Winning our last regular season game heading into the playoffs is an amazing feeling. We, as a team, try to hold each other to high standards and remind each other that every game counts, whether it’s a non-league, league, or playoff game.” The second-seeded Rams have the home-court advantage when they face the fourth-seeded Salem State Vikings in the MASCAC Semifinals Feb. 27. Martin said in her last season, she hopes the MASCAC sees that the Rams “can compete with anyone!”