By Matt Cook
Sports Editor

After securing a comfortable 80-42 victory over Becker College on Jan. 26, the women’s basketball team has lost two straight games, bringing their record to 11-9.

In the MASCAC, the Rams are 2-6, but have an impressive 7-3 record at home.

On Saturday, Framingham lost on the road to Worcester State, 51-47. Three of the five starters for the Rams scored in double digits, with guard Madeleine Park, a junior, leading the way with 15 points.

FSU had five points from the bench, and shot 5-for-13 from beyond the arc and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line.

Worcester State answered with Kaleigh Charette, who netted 17, a game-high. Meghan O’Keefe grabbed 10 rebounds, also a game-high.

The following game was played on Tuesday, and Framingham came within one shot of sending the contest to overtime.

Park’s three-pointer was blocked in the final seconds by Shelly DePina and Bridgewater State held on for the 64-61 victory. The Bears’ conference record improved to 7-1.

To open the contest, Bridgewater had a 9-2 run, but Framingham’s three-pointers helped them to stay in the game. The Rams finished 5-for-17.

When at the line, Framingham was almost perfect, shooting 6-for-7, but Bridgewater’s impressive field-goal shooting (49.0 percent) gave them the advantage.

It took until 11:26 remaining in the first half for the Bears to make their first three, as their offense was dominated by points in the paint.

A strong finish to the first twenty minutes gave Bridgewater the 40-35 lead heading into the break.

In the second half, the Rams were taking a lot of time to shoot, forcing bad looks. Bridgewater’s threes came to life in the second half. They finished 5-for-15 on the night.

Within the final minute of regulation, Framingham made it interesting.

With 23.3 ticks left, Park stole the ball and passed it down court to an open Jill Johnson, a senior forward. She finished with a layup cutting Bridgewater’s lead to one.

After Bridgewater scored two more, Framingham was down 64-61 with just seconds left. Park took the ball down court and launched the ball at the net from deep beyond the three-point arc. DePina blocked the ball from getting to the net and dribbled it for the remaining two seconds to improve the Bears’ stellar conference record.

The Rams’ starters combined for 52 of the 61 points they scored, and forward Kia Minor, a junior, had a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. She shot 6-of-10 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the line.

The Rams’ next game is Saturday when they travel to Fitchburg State for MASCAC play.