By Taylor Kimmell Interim Asst. Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams faced off against the Falcons of Fitchburg State in a heavily defensive conference matchup Jan. 29. Starting for the Rams were seniors Kyle Philistin, JD Okafor, and Adonis Vashon, and sophomores Joshua Saint Jean and Makyle Hayes. Fitchburg tallied the first points of the game, scoring on a jumpshot 40 seconds into the first half. Okafor responded with a perfectly executed layup. The Falcons scored twice more, on a layup at 16:29 and a jump shot at 15:55. Saint Jean battled back for the Rams, scoring on a layup with an assist from Okafor. Framingham matched Fitchburg’s next jump shot with three of their own - two from Philistin and one from freshman Marshall Kerley. Just as the lead seemed to be within reach for the Rams, Fitchburg battled back with a three-point shot. Both teams continued to fight for the win, Framingham scoring 12 points and Fitchburg scoring six during the next 5 minutes. With just 4 minutes remaining in the half, Framingham focused on closing the gap. Philistin passed the ball to Vashon, who scored on a three-pointer. Sophomore Dyree Rogers followed the play with two successful free throws, and the half ended with a score of 36-29. The Rams came into the second half of the game with what seemed like a renewed determination. Just two minutes in, Fitchburg fouled Saint Jean, allowing the forward to make both penalty shots. In the shadow of the successful free throws, Philistin weaved his way through the swarm of defenders, executing a perfect layup. The Falcons sensed the threat of an impending lead change, and following a brief 30-second timeout, took to the court and began to fight back. The ensuing 8 minutes resulted in an added 22 points for Fitchburg. In the face of this significant point deficit, Framingham put some of their own points on the board - two foul shots from Philistin, two from Saint Jean, and an additional two from Okafor, as well as a three-pointer from sophomore Nathaniel Taylor and three successful free throws from Rogers. The Rams continued to reap the benefits of their field goal attempts, with more shots from Taylor, Philistin, and sophomore Javoun Calhoun. As the clock ran down, it became clear to Framingham that recovering so many points in the concluding minutes of the game would be near impossible. Instead, the team worked as diligently as possible to reduce Fitchburg’s lead, the game ending with a layup from Philistin. It remained a tough battle until the final buzzer, and the match ended with a score of 67-54 - a disappointing but hard-fought loss for Framingham. This loss set the Rams’ conference record at 3-3, and dropped their overall record to 9-10. Senior Chance Wells said, “Fitchburg just played harder than us. We knew that coming into the game, they were going to play hard for the full 40 minutes. We just didn’t bring the juice from the jump.” Wells said, “We turned it [the ball] over way too much for us to succeed.” Sophomore Korbin Gann said, “Fitchburg was just applying good ball pressure and had players making shots when they needed to. “We need to handle the ball better, have better attitudes, and play a full 40 minutes every game,” he said. With just five games remaining in their 2024-25 season, the team is determined to improve their record and rewrite their reputation. “What drives us is the pursuit of doing something that this school hasn’t done for a long time, which would be having a winning season and a chance to play in the MASCAC playoffs - fighting to win a championship,” Gann said. The guard noted that making it to the NCAA tournament would be a dream come true for the team. “We know we have the pieces and we know we can do it. That’s what we’ve been working toward since preseason,” Gann concluded. The team hosts Westfield State for a conference game this Saturday, Feb. 1.