Framingham State Holds Off Fitchburg State, 77-68

Four Falcons post double-figures in tough MASCAC loss

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (January 30, 2010) - Senior Brandon Edelstein (Upper Merrion, Penn./Harriton) led four Fitchburg State players in double-figures with a team-high 16 points, but Framingham State held off the Falcons, 77-68 in MASCAC action this afternoon.

BRANDON EDELSTEIN

Edelstein led all Falcon scorers as the rookie forward registered his first double-double of the season with a 16 point, 14 rebound effort. Senior Tim Graham (Arlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic) added to the mix with 12 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor, while classmate Colin London (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) and freshman Blake Sheldon (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) recorded ten points apiece.

Senior Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) paced the Framingham State attack, notching a game-high 18 points (7-of-11 shooting) and 14 boards for his sixth double-double of the season, while Bill Carey (Abington, Mass./Abington) also tallied double-digits with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. The Rams foursome of Royce Veal (Dorchester, Mass./Minuteman Regional), Darius Yarrell (Brockton, Mass./Brockton), Roderick Jackson (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge), and Allen St. Laurent (Brockton, Mass./ North Cambridge) rounded out the Framingham offense with eight points each.

Framingham State controlled the contest from the get-go, using a 17-8 run over the last 7:19 of the first half to grab a 20 point advantage at the break. Carey sparked the Rams first half surge with a pair of three pointers, including one with only three seconds remaining, while Almodovar and Yarrell each added four points in the stretch.

In the second half, the Rams began to pull away going up by as much as 24 points midway through the half. Fitchburg State responded however, using a 12-2 run over a three minute period to cut the Framingham lead to 14. Freshman Nick Viera (Edgartown, Mass./Martha's Vineyard) ignited the Falcons with a pair of quick lay-ups, while Graham tacked on six points in the paint.

The Falcons continued to chip away at the Framingham State lead, bringing the contest to a six point stunner with 0:25 remaining in regulation. London and Viera connected on two consecutive lay-ups to make it a 72-66 contest, but Framingham State secured its ninth victory of the season with 5-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe over the final 22 seconds.

Fitchburg State (6-13, 2-5 MASCAC) will be in action on Tuesday as it hosts Newbury College at 7:30 p.m. Framingham State (9-8, 5-2 MASCAC) will host Bridgewater State on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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Framingham State 77, Fitchburg State 68