Plymouth State Defeats Framingham State 57-50

By Kathleen Lynch/Framingham State athletics

The Framingham State University men’s basketball team struggled from the floor as they were defeated 57-50 by Plymouth State University in non-conference action Thursday evening at the Athletic Center in Framingham.

With the win, the Panthers improve to 3-0 on the young season, while the Rams slip to 1-3 on the year.

The Rams jumped out to a 9-2 lead early in the first half on a bucket in the paint from sophomore Tony Alexandre and a three from senior Joe McCabe, but the Panthers used a 14-2 run capped by a three in transition from junior Curtis Arsenault to take a 16-11 lead. The Panthers pushed the lead to as many as nine (24-15) on a steal and layup in transition from junior Nathan Clarke before taking a 30-22 lead into the locker room.

The Rams opened the second half with a 5-0 spurt fueled by a bucket in the paint from Alexandre to pull within three (30-27), but Plymouth responded with a 10-2 run of their own highlighted by a reverse lay-in from junior Jack Preston and a three from Arsenault to push the lead to double digits.

Arsenault led all scorers with a game-high 16 points for the Panthers, while Preston finished with 14 and six boards. Senior Uche Nwokeji chipped in with 11 points on 4-of-6 from the floor, while Clarke finished with four points and a game-high 10 boards.

Alexandre led the Rams with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. Senior Jacek Louisville was the only other Rams with double figures as he scored 13 points including 9-of-10 from the line.

The Rams struggled from the floor in the game shooting just 40 percent from the field and 20 percent from behind the arc, while the Panthers connected on 46 percent of their offerings.

The Rams are back in action at home next Tuesday night when they host Trinity at 6 p.m.