Jan. 5, 2012

Box Score

Framingham, Mass. - Framingham State University's sophomore guard Tyrone Figueroa (Revere, Mass.) tallied a game-high 26 points to lead the Rams men's basketball team in a 71-55 win over Emmanuel College. The non-conference action played at Framingham's Athletic Center was the second semester opener for both teams. With the win, the Rams even their record at 6-6 on the year, while the loss dropped the Saints to 4-6 overall.

Emmanuel jumped out to a 5-0 lead just over a minute into the game on a layup by senior Nate Jackson (Middleboro, Mass.) and a three pointer on the wing by sophomore Josh Welles (Philadelphia, PA). That would be the Saints' last lead of the game however, as the Rams rattled off a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to take the lead for good. Figueroa scored the Rams' first 11 points on the run, while sophomore Yemi Ajao (Randolph, Mass.) capped the spurt with a three point play with 15:48 left in the first.

The Rams extended their lead to as many as 21 points at 39-18, as they shot 55% from the floor in the opening half with Figueroa scoring 21 first-half points on 8-of-8 shooting from the field. The Rams eventually took a 41-23 lead into the break.

Framingham State extended their lead to 23 points (46-23) in the opening minutes of the second half on a bucket by junior Rico DePaolis (Watertown, Mass.) and a three pointer from sophomore guard Juan Lopez (Holyoke, Mass.).

Emmanuel would not go down easily, as the Saints chipped away at the Rams' lead with a 20-6 run over the next eight minutes to pull within single digits (52-43) with 11:05 left to play. The Saints capitalized on Rams' turnovers during the stretch and received six points from sophomore forward Theo Robinson (Springfield, Mass.) on the run. Junior guard Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) added 8 points, including a pair of three pointers during the stretch.

The Rams answered with a 7-1 run capped by a Figueroa three-pointer on the left wing to push the lead back to double digits for good.

Figueroa led all scorers with his 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, to go along with six boards, four assists and five steals. Freshman Justin Peron (North Attleboro, Mass.) was the only other Ram to record double figures with 10 points, including a pair of trifectas. Freshman forwards Andre Santana (Worcester, Mass.) and Matt Zajac (Medway, Mass.) finished with nine points apiece, while Ajoa chipped in with eight.

The Saints, who dressed just seven players for the game, were led offensively by Robinson, who recorded another double-double with a team-best 16 points and 12 rebounds. Mailhot finished with 15 points, including a trio of buckets drained from behind the arc. Jackson added with 10 points, while senior forward Isaiah Duke (Albany, NY) grabbed nine rebounds for the Saints to go along with a pair of steals.

The Rams return to the hard court on Saturday when the begin MASCAC action hosting Worcester State University at 5 p.m., while the Saints resume their conference schedule on Saturday when they host the Monks of St. Joseph's College (ME) at 1 p.m.

- Courtesy of Framingham State University Sports Information