Men’s Basketball Comeback Falls Short at Framingham State, 66-62

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team visited Framingham State this evening for a MASCAC matchup with the Rams at the Framingham State University Athletic and Recreation Center. Trailing by as many as 17 points in the second half, the Trailblazers chipped away at the Rams' lead, getting to within a single point with 31 seconds remaining before Adonis Vashon hit three of four free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win for the hosts.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
• Score: MCLA 62, Framingham 66
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 3-14 (MASCAC 1-4) | Framingham State University Rams 9-8 (MASCAC 3-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was a nip-and-tuck game early with neither team able to pull away from the other, and was tied at 18 all with just under seven minutes left in the first half. MCLA earned what would be their largest lead of the game just over four minutes in, when senior guard JoJo Garcia (Henderson, NV) hit a three to go up 6-2. From that point until Framingham took the lead for good, there were seven ties, and six lead changes before the Rams closed out the half on a 18-7 seven run, taking a 36-25 edge into the half time locker room.
• A 10-4 run to open the second half gave the hosts their largest lead of the game at 17 points as the clock ticked under 16 minutes remaining. This was when the Trailblazers began to chip away, closing to within a single point with 31 seconds to go when Garcia knocked down a pair of foul shots.
• Both teams had a balanced attack, with four from MCLA finishing with double-digit points, and three for Framingham accomplishing the feat. The Rams' Kyle Philistin led all-scorers with 14 points, followed by 13 points from Joshua-Daniel Okafor, and 10 points by Joshua Saint Jean. For MCLA the quartet was paced by 13 points by senior guard Quentin Gittens (Pittsfield, MA), 11 points from sophomore guard Hayden Morris-Gray (Port Jefferson Station, NY), and ten each for junior guard Craig Williams (Dover, DE) and graduate student forward Jackson Brown (Latham, NY).
• Gittens and Saint Jean tied for a game-high nine rebounds each, both just missing a double-double by a single board.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 20-52 / 38.5%, Framingham 23-46 / 50%
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 8-30 / 26.7%, Framingham 1-9 / 11.1%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 14-18 / 77.8%, Framingham 19-27 / 70.4%
• Rebounds: MCLA 24, Framingham 37
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 20, Framingham 15
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 8, Framingham 9
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 22, Framingham 28
• Bench Points: MCLA 16, Framingham 11

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Worcester State for a MASCAC matchup with the Lancers in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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