By Ryan Creed
Assistant Sports Editor
Both the Framingham State University men and women’s basketball teams fell in MASCAC tournament action on Tuesday. The FSU women fell at MCLA, 73-59. The men fell by a score of 76-57 when they traveled to Westfield State.
The FSU women’s basketball squad finished the season with a 12-14 record, including 4-8 in the conference. Their conference mark placed them sixth in the MASCAC, which meant they would be pitted against MCLA in the first round of the tournament. The Rams lost both times they went up against the Trailblazers this season. They lost the first matchup Jan. 20 65-53. In the second matchup at the FSU Athletic Center, things were slightly more interested, but still they fell 72-63.
The FSU Men’s Basketball team also finished in the middle of the MASCAC standings. They finished with a 10-15 regular season mark – 5-7 in conference play. Their record placed them fifth in the standings.
Their opponent for the MASCAC tournament happened to be a rematch of the Feb. 15 overtime thriller in which the Owls were able to take down the Rams 75-74. FSU won the first meeting between the two, 81-79 on Jan. 22.
The women’s basketball team started off trading shot – for – shot with MCLA, as the Rams held an early advantage against the Trailblazers 13-12 eight minutes into the game. The score then quickly ballooned in MCLA’s favor, when they opened up a 42-20 lead at halftime.
The Trailblazers’ first-half surge was too much to overcome for the Rams, as MCLA held a double-digit lead throughout the whole second half.
MCLA was led by Lucy Tremblay, who scored 16 points. FSU’s Cassie Liston countered with 16 as well, but the Trailblazers were too much to handle for a Rams squad that has been decimated with injuries throughout the season.
The men’s game featured the conclusion of a rubber match between the Rams and Westfield State that saw the Owls prevail. The tournament game didn’t feature the same riveting finish however.
The Rams kept it close early on, as they were only down 33-24 after the first half of play.
The Owls were able to take command in the second half, as they jumped out to a lead as big as 23.
Lee Vazquez was the star of the game, as he contributed a game-high 27 points. Westfield State also received major contributions from Andrew Morgan and Chris Jurkowski – who each had 17. Owls’ big man Matt Devine - who was held scoreless – played an essential role as well, as he corralled 12 rebounds.
The Rams’ push was led my Marcus Mclaurin, who led FSU with 24 points. Teammate and captain Royce Veal added 12.
The games mark the end of basketball season on the campus of Framingham State University. Both teams battled through adversity, but remained competitive throughout, and this season should be used as a building block, as the offseason gets under way.
