FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- The Framingham State College men's basketball team picked up an important Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) win at home today, 89-80, over the visiting Bears of Bridgewater State College.
With the win, the Rams move to 10-11 on the season and 5-3 in the MASCAC which puts them in a tie for third place in the conference heading into the final two weeks of play. The Bears are now 9-11 overall and 3-5 in the conference.
The Rams defense forced the Bears to commit 14 first half turnovers. The Rams converted those turnovers into 14 points including back to back fast break dunks by senior center Rob Scarpato (Hopkinton, MA) which opened up a 10 point lead for the Rams at 26-16 with 7:45 remaining in the first half. Bridgewater State would respond with a 7-0 run of their own capped by a jumper from sophomore guard Matt McLaughlin (Rochester, MA) which cut the Rams lead to 26-23 with six minutes remaining in the half. The two teams would go back and forth for the remainder of the half with the Rams taking a five point lead into the break.
Both team made their runs in the second half as the lead changed hands four times and the score was tied on four occasions. The score was tied at 74-74 with just over two minutes to play. The Rams went on a 15-6 run over the final two minutes to pull out the victory. Sophomore guard Bill Carey (Abington, MA) sparked the run with a three pointer from long distance and a tough layup off a feed from freshman Michael Hines (Boston, MA).
The Rams had four players in double figures led by sophomore forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, MA) who picked up the double double with a game high 26 points and 15 rebounds. Almodovar also dished out 5 assists. Carey finished the day 3 of 7 from behind the arc for 17 points, while Hines finished with 14 points and 4 boards. Scarpato finished the night with 12 points and 9 boards, while fellow senior Michael Costa (Holbrook, MA) added 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
The Bears were led by freshman guard Judah Jackson (Everett, MA) who finished with a team high 16 points and junior Jesse Teixeira (Taunton, MA) who added 14 points and 6 boards.
Both teams return to MASCAC action on Tuesday as the Rams travel to Worcester State with an 8:00 tip-off, while the Bears host MCLA at 7:30.