By Framingham State athletics
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FRAMINGHAM – The Framingham State University women’s basketball team secured their first outright Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Regular Season Title with an 85-63 victory Wednesday evening over Bridgewater State University in MASCAC action at the Athletic Center at Framingham State University.
With the win, Framingham State is 11-0 in the Conference, and has just one game left in the regular season.
The Rams are 19-5 overall.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The MASCAC Regular Season Title is the first outright title and second overall regular-season title in program history as the Rams were tri-champions after the 2013-14 season. The Rams are now 11-0 in league play which is a program record for conference wins in a season.
- Freshman Flannery O’Connor (Amesbury) paced the Rams with a double-double effort of a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. O’Connor connected on 8-of-12 from the floor and added two assists, a steal and two blocks.
- Senior Mary Kate O’Day (Berlin) and Emily Velozo (Tewksbury) chipped in with 13 points apiece in the game. O’Day finished just shy of a double-double of her own with nine boards, five assists and a block.
- Freshman Katty Haidul (Wakefield) chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Rams. Haidul connect on 4-of-6 from the floor including 2-of-2 from behind the arc.
- The Bears were led by 15 points apiece from sophomores Hannah and Olivia Dziadyk (Wakefield).
- Junior Leah Simmons (Abington) chipped in with nine points off the bench, while freshman Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater) added eight points.
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- Prior to the game, the Rams recognized their three seniors – O’Day, Velozo and forward Julia Sanborn (Dracut) during their Senior Night Ceremony.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Rams jumped out to an 8-2 lead just over two minutes into the game with O’Connor scoring six points in the paint.
- Bridgewater State closed the gap to 12-11 on a Jordyn Lako (Attleboro) free throw with just under four on the clock, but the Rams closed the quarter with a 14-2 run to lead 26-13 after one. O’Connor tallied 13 points in the opening quarter.
- Bridgewater State closed the gap to eight, 30-22, four minutes into the second after a three by Hannah Dziadyk, but the Rams scored five straight pushing the lead back to 13 before heading to the locker room leading 39-28. The Rams outscored the Bears 28-8 in the paint in the first half.
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- The Rams led by 16, 47-31, just over two minutes into the third after a Velozo layup. The Bears cut the lead down to 49-40 with 5:49 left in the quarter on a Hannah Dziadyk layup.
- The Rams quickly pushed the lead back to double digits and used a 15-2 run to lead by as many as 22, 64-42, before leading 64-44 after three. Key plays on the run for the Rams were a three-point play by O’Day and a three by Haidul.
- The Rams maintained the sizeable lead throughout the fourth quarter leading by as many as 30 before securing the 85-63 victory.
UP NEXT:
The Rams close out the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Fitchburg State for a noon tip-off
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Photos by Brendon Curtis of Moments Suspended in Time Photography for SOURCE media.
High-resolution images are available for purchase by emailing brendon@MSITphoto.com