By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams dropped the ball in a 78-63 conference-matchup loss against the Westfield State Owls Feb. 1. Coming into the game at the top of the MASCAC conference, Westfield was predicted to be a difficult team to beat. Sophomore Javaun Calhoun said, “The first time we went against them [Westfield], we only lost by three points. … We were fired up, if anything.” Out of the gate, Westfield took control on the offensive end, scoring 9 points before Framingham could net their first basket on a layup from senior JD Okafor, assisted by sophomore Makyle Hayes. Fouled by the Owls’ defenders, senior Joshua Saint Jean was awarded two free throws, both of which he was able to capitalize on. Both teams traded offensive presses and missed shots before Saint Jean scored once again. His well-executed layup brought the score to 14-6 and put the Rams at a noticeable point deficit early on in the game. The Rams attempted to tighten up the score with a layup from senior Kyle Philistin on a defensive rebound. This was closely followed with a jump shot and another layup from sophomore Dyree Rogers. Philistin capitalized on FSU’s streak, landing yet another perfect layup. Westfield did not concede, adding another 15 points to their side of the scoreboard. With just 5 minutes left in the half, Framingham fought back with more intensity. A jump shot from freshman Marshall Kerley, three layups from Saint Jean, Okafor, and senior Adonis Vashon, as well as three successful free throws from Saint Jean earned the Rams 15 points as well. The first half ended with a bang, with both teams furiously fighting for the ball, hoping to score once more before the buzzer. Neither team could find the basket, and the first half ended with a score of 37-26 - the Rams still trailing the Owls. The beginning of the second half was similar to the first. Westfield scored five points within the first few minutes. Fouled by WSU’s defenders just a minute later, Philistin sank both of his awarded free throws. Following Philistin’s lead, Okafor added another point to the board with a free throw of his own. Vashon scored on a jump shot, quickly followed by another layup from Okafor, bringing the Rams within 5 points of a lead change. Despite their hard work, Framingham fell further behind in the following few minutes as Westfield tallied two layups, a free throw, and a three-point jump shot. Senior Jordan Howard added another 2 points to the scoreboard, making the most of his free-throw attempts. Framingham’s defense proved impenetrable for the next 2 minutes, allowing Philistin, Okafor, and Hayes to score and bring the team within 10 points of Westfield. The Rams continued to close the gap in the final minutes of the game. With less than a minute to go, Vashon made one final layup, and the game concluded with a score of 78-63. Head Coach Donald Morris Jr. noted that despite the supposed advantage of the opposing team, the Rams were still able to make their mark. Morris said, “Playing the team that is currently in first place in the MASCAC and being able to cut the lead to 5 points in the second half shows we have some resilience.” A certain mindset must be adopted in tough games like this. When the stakes are high, a key factor in success, according to Okafor, is simply sticking to the fundamentals. Okafor said, “We just play hard and know what we have to do - just try to get the ball where it’s supposed to go and make the difficult shots. “The wins and losses will take care of themselves. We just have to keep the right mindset … knowing the game plan and sticking with it, not letting whatever’s going on in the game affect us,” he added. On Feb. 5, the Rams fell to Bridgewater State University 85-66 in an away conference match. With just four games left in the season, the team remains hopeful. Morris said, “Our goal is to continue to hold the playoff seed we currently have or to get a better seeding - to continue to work to get better each and every day.” The Rams will host the Vikings of Salem State this Saturday, Feb. 8 for one of their last conference games of the season.