Rams Fall to Amherst College in NCAA Game

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By Framingham State athletics

AMHERST – The Framingham State University women’s basketball team’s historic season came to a close Friday evening when the Rams were defeated by No. 7 Amherst College 70-46 in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship.

There were no fans at the game in Amherst, due to the looming threat of the Coronavirus.

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Framingham State had a record of 22-6 this season.

Amherst College improves to 23-4.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• With the victory, Amherst advances to the second-round tomorrow where they will face Rowan who won the other opening-round game at Amherst this evening.
• The Rams see their historic season come to a close after winning a school-record 22 games and the program’s first MASCAC Tournament Title.
• The game was played to a practically empty gym after Amherst College made the decision to prohibit spectators from both rounds of this weekend’s Regional because of the “evolving nature of the global COVID-19 outbreak.” 

• The Rams were led offensively by freshman Flannery O’Connor (Amesbury) who scored a team-best 14 points with five boards, two assists and two blocks.  
• Senior Emily Velozo (Tewksbury) scored 13 points on 3-of-7 from long range with six boards an assist, a steal and two blocked shots.
• Rams senior Mary Kate O’Day (Berlin) added six points with five rebounds a helper and two steals to close her outstanding career for the Rams.
• Amherst received scores from 12 different student-athletes but were paced by Madeline Eck who scored 13 points on 6-of-10 from the floor with six rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Rams trailed 6-5 just under four minutes into the game after a Velozo three, but Amherst closed the first quarter with an 11-3 run to lead 17-8 after one.
• The Rams struggled from the floor in the first two quarters shooting just 15% from the floor and going over 10 minutes between baskets.  The Rams defense forced 11 first half turnovers from Amherst helping them head to the locker room trailing 29-14.

• Amherst pushed the lead to 20 in the third quarter before the Rams cut the gap to 15 on a pair of occasions including on a Velozo three-point play with 2:36 left in the third. Amherst closed the quarter with a 9-0 to lead 50-26 after three.
• The Rams chipped at the lead and cut the gap to 16 four minutes into the fourth on a pair of O’Day layups, but Amherst quickly extended the lead back to 21, 60-39, with 5:02 remaining.