FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Regis College used its defense to open a double-digit lead in the first half and then held off a Framingham State second half rally as the Pride defeated the Rams, 68-60, Tuesday night in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at the FSU Athletic Center.
Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) led the Pride with 15 points and eight rebounds, plus he collected three assists and two steals, while Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) finished with 13 points, four assists, and three steals. Tate Pike (Bellingham, Mass.) contributed 12 points, four assists, and three steals, and Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) added 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals to the winning effort.
Framingham State (1-7) jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first five minutes, but the Pride quickly tied the game on a three-pointer by Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) and a layup by Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) off a steal and an assist from Rau. Latifi hit consecutive three-pointers to put the Pride on top midway through the first half, 15-12, and then Regis put together an 18-2 scoring run, featuring consecutive three-pointers by Pike and Rau, to open a 36-18 advantage with three-and-a-half minutes left in the first half.
Down 39-24 at halftime, the Rams scored the first five points of the second half before Jalil Wilkerson (New Haven, Conn.) hit a three-pointer. Framingham State rattled off eight straight points to close to within five, but Perez stopped the Ram scoring streak with a three-pointer.
The Rams would close to within four points four different times, the last on a layup by Javaris Hill with 8:46 left in the second half, but the Pride extended their lead to 13 points thanks to an 11-2 scoring run over a three-minute span. Framingham State made one final push, starting with a three-pointer by Jahden Erold, but three missed field goal attempts and four turnovers over the final two minutes allowed the Pride to clinch the victory.
Hill shot 9-of-12 from the field as he led all players with 19 points, while Joshua-Daniel Okafor finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Marshall Martin scored 12 points to go along with nine rebounds of his own as the Rams won the rebounding battle, 35-26, plus the home team shot 51.1 percent (23-of-45) from the field.
The Pride forced 27 Ram turnovers, leading to 30 Regis points off turnovers, and Framingham State also hit just 58.8 percent (10-of-17) of its free throw attempts while Regis made the most of its free throw opportunities at 81.8 percent (9-of-11). The Pride shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the field, including 11-of-23 from behind the three-point line, the most made three-pointers in a game this season for Regis.
Nate Hager, the only head coach to lead the Regis men's basketball program since it started in the 2007-08 season, earned his 150th career victory. Hager and the Pride are now 4-1 all-time against Framingham State, including a perfect 3-0 on the Rams' home court.
Regis College (2-4) begins a four-game homestand with a conference contest against Dean College next Wednesday, Dec. 1, starting at 8 p.m. at Higgins Court.