Gittens and Morris-Gray Lead Men’s Basketball Past Framingham State

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team faced off with the Framingham State Rams in a MASCAC matchup at the Amsler Campus Center this evening. MCLA's Quentin Gittens finished with 26 points after a nearly perfect 12 for 13 showing at the free throw line, while Hayden Morris-Gray was lights out from the field, knocking down 10 of his 14 shots.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2024
• Score: Framingham State 60, MCLA 77
• Records: Framingham State Rams 5-12 (MASCAC 0-4) | MCLA Trailblazers 8-8 (MASCAC 3-2)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Both teams opened the game with big swings at each other in the first eight minutes. Framingham State scored the first four points of the game before MCLA responded with nine unanswered points. The runs continued this way until a Quentin Gittens jumper put the Trailblazers ahead 14-13 with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half. From that point, the hosts continued to build their lead and took a 31-23 lead into the halftime locker room.
• The second half started much the same way the first half ended, with MCLA continuing to build their lead. A Jayden Mills layup with 15:35 left in regulation put the Trailblazers up by a dozen at 41-29.
• A quick two-minute, 7-2 run by the Rams was capped by Harrison Boadu layup got the visitors back within seven points at 43-36 with 13:38 to play. It would be as close as Framingham would get.
• Senior guard Quentin Gittens finished with his third straight game with at least 25 points, scoring a game-high 26 points and pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Gittens finished the first half only a single rebound short of what would be his third straight double-double and fifth in his last six games. A 12 of 13 performance by the senior at the charity stripe was the standout line on a Trailblazers team that shot a blistering 86.4% (19-22) from the free throw line.
• As deadly as Gittens was at the free-throw line, Hayden Morris-Gray was nearly as hot off the dribble, scoring 22 points on a 10-14 shooting line from the field. Morris-Gray missed only a single shot from inside the three-point arc.
• The Rams were fueled by 15 points each from Adonis Vashon and Joshua Saint Jean on matching 6-11 shooting. The difference between the two came on three three-pointers for Vashon, while Saint Jean was 3-4 from the foul line. Bryan Thompson finished with a team-high seven rebounds for the visitors, trailing only the 14 boards by Gittens.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: FSU 24-57 / 42.1%, MCLA 27-53 / 50.9%
• 3 Points / %: FSU 6-22 / 27.3%, MCLA 4-19 / 21.1%
• Free Throw / %: FSU 6-10 / 60%, MCLA 19-22 / 86.4%
• Rebounds: FSU 31, MCLA 31
• Points off Turnovers: FSU 12, MCLA 22
• Second Chance Points: FSU 11, MCLA 4
• Points in the Paint: FSU 34, MCLA 42
• Bench Points: FSU 15, MCLA 10

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to the Pratt Institute for a non-conference matchup with the Cannoneers at the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. The teams will take the floor for a noon tip-off.

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