FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – After a rally to start the second half, Regis College allowed Framingham State to pull away again, and the Rams were able to hold off the Pride, 67-59, Tuesday night in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at Logan Gymnasium.
Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) shot 12-for-20 from the field as he led the Pride with a season-high 24 points and eight rebounds. Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Cameron Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) contributed 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Framingham State (3-3) scored the first five points of the game on a jumper by Joshua Saint Jean and a three-pointer from Duane Mason Jr., but two three-pointers from Rau and a layup from Wilkins tied the game at 8-8 four minutes into the contest. Later in the opening half, Adonis Vashon's layup gave the Rams a 17-12 advantage, but the Pride responded with a 9-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.).
After a three-minute scoring lull, the Rams went on their own 9-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Harrison Boadu, to open a five-point lead at 28-23. Jahden Erold converted a traditional three-point play with 1:32 left in the first half as Framingham State held Regis without a field goal in the final six-and-a-half minutes of the period to take a 31-24 advantage into halftime.
The Pride opened the second half with an 11-3 scoring run, starting with a three-pointer from Justin Evelyn (Uniondale, N.Y.) and capped by consecutive layups from Harvey, to pull ahead 35-34. Bryan Thompson hit a three-pointer that would prove to give the Rams the lead for good as the home team started to extend its lead thanks to consecutive three-pointers from Vashon.
Late in the second half, Regis made one final push, rattling off an 8-1 scoring run to close to within five points at 60-55 with 2:15 remaining on the clock. The Rams went 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes to hold off the Pride rally.
Saint Jean led a balanced Ram offensive effort with 14 points and 16 rebounds as eight different Framingham State players scored at least five points. Although the Rams shot just 35.9 percent (23-for-64) from the field and 60.9 percent (14-for-23) from the free throw line, the home team dominated the boards, outrebounding Regis 50-35, including 15 offensive rebounds leading to 14 second chance points.
Regis College (1-4) hosts Lesley University next Tuesday, Nov. 28, starting at 7 p.m. at Higgins Court.