By Ty Foster
Assistant Sports Editor

After a loss to MASCAC foe Bridgewater State at home, the Rams are 8-13 overall, and 2-6 in the MASCAC.

The loss to the Bears comes after an overtime victory at Worcester State. Framingham State is 3-0 in games that have reached overtime this season.

Guard Rico DePaolis, a junior, said, “[In] overtime, we like to think we’re in better shape than most teams because of our work in practice. Also, we’ve played very good basketball leading into overtime, which is very easy to carry over.”

Forward Yemi Ajao, a sophomore, added, “Every time we go into overtime, we seem to be very focused and for some reason we are just hungrier for the win than the opposing team is.”

Framingham ties the season series against Worcester, redeeming a Jan. 7, 66-55 loss at home vs. the Lancers.

In the win, guard Tyrone Figueroa, a sophomore, scored a team-high 22 points and notched a career-high seven steals.

Guard Jamie Henderson, a sophomore, scored a career-best 19 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

DePaolis had four three-pointers and three free throws to add 15 points to the scoreboard for the Rams.

Ajao added 10 points off the bench for the Rams, the lone bench player to score in the win.

Out-rebounding Worcester on the offensive boards and earning more second chance points allowed the Rams to come back from trailing by 13 – the largest lead Worcester had in the game.

Four of the five Framingham starters, and sixth man, forward Andre Santana, finished with double-digit points to give the Rams the third highest scoring output of the season with 82 points.

The Rams’ starters collectively scored 22 points in the second Bridgewater game of the season. The Bears’ starters completed the contest with 63 points.

Bridgewater also finished with double Framingham’s output in assists and blocks, and nearly double the Rams’ three-point field goal percentage.

Bridgewater, who is second place in the MASCAC, also finished with a better field goal percentage, free throw percentage and fewer turnovers.

Framingham was down early as Bridgewater began the match with a 14-0 run. Framingham also had one-fifth of their total turnovers during the Bears’ run.

Bridgewater was able to bump their lead to a game-high 17 points, before the Rams answered with a 12-4 run of their own behind guards Juan Lopez and DePaolis.

After the Rams were able to trim the deficit to 10 points, Bridgewater raised the advantage to 16.

Santana led Framingham in points with 15 and tied for a team-high with seven rebounds.

The Rams’ bench provided a spark, outscoring the starters by 11 points. The third highest scorer, Lopez, scored eight in just nine minutes of play off the bench.

Ajao expressed disappointment in the team’s flat start, “[We] really just handed the game to them within the first three or four minutes of regulation.”

DePaolis said, “When we dig ourselves a hole against a good team like Bridgewater, it’s very hard to get out.”

The Rams concluded the month of January with a 3-7 record. January was the busiest month for the Rams, having only played 11 games of the season in the previous two months.

Framingham has four games left on the regular season in February. The Rams have gone 1-3 against their remaining MASCAC opponents.

Ajao said the focus is on their next match against Fitchburg State. The Rams fell 94-81 at home in their first meeting with the Falcons.

“It’s a must win if we still have any hopes of qualifying for the conference tournament,” Ajao said.

DePaolis said, “I feel like the rest of the season comes down to our focus as a team, and our heart as individuals. If we all go 100 percent on every play for 40 minutes. … then we like our chances against anyone.”