Carlos Silva
Staff Writer
The Rams took on the Bridgewater State Bears in a MASCAC game Feb. 19 at the Athletic Center.
The Rams started o> struggling. They allowed the Bears to make an early 10-2 run, extending their lead to 15-7 with over 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Bears held a strong consistent lead over the Rams for most of the half, leading by as many as 10 points.
The two teams closed the half strong offensively with the Bears holding onto a 35-27 lead.
The Rams started off hot in the second half and took the lead after an 8-0 run to make the score 42-41 with 14:40 left on the clock.
Later in the half, the Bears went on an 8-0 run of their own to take a commanding 67-59 lead with 5:36 remaining in the game.
The flurry of 8-0 runs continued when the Rams went on their second run to tie the game at 67-67 with 3:30 left on the clock. The run was led by four points from Tyri Hampton.
After sinking a pair of free throws, the Bears were up by three with 18.8 seconds left.
Tajahn Joyner hit a quick layup to bring the deficit to just one point with 9.2 left in the game.
The Rams then fouled Ryan Carney and forced him to earn his points by hitting two free throws with 4.8 seconds left.
Carney sunk in both shots to give the Bears a three-point lead.
Joyner brought the ball up to about half court and then tossed it back to Hampton for a last second miracle half-court shot that sunk perfectly into the net to tie the game with .2 seconds remaining.
The game went into overtime.
The Bears dominated most of the overtime after a quick 11-1 run. They were able control the lead until the end, and ultimately beat the Rams with a score of 87-82.
The Rams next game was against the Fitchburg State Falcons Feb. 22 at the Parkinson Gymnasium.
The first half started off with the Rams and Falcons trading baskets until the Falcons scored twice in a row to take an 11-6 lead.
The Falcons continued to build onto their lead midway through the Irst half following four points from Xavier Betancourt to make the score 23-16.
After a Hampton three-point shot cut the deficit to seven points, Anthony Diaz and Jordan Jones scored three points each to extend the Falcons lead to 34-21.
The Falcons lead by 12 points going into half time with a score of 42-30.
Fitchburg opened the second half strong with a 17-8 run during the Irst Ive minutes of the frame, extending their lead to 59-38.
The Falcons held o the Rams for the rest of the game and secured the win with a score of 93-72.
The Rams finished the season 1-11 in the MASCAC and 2-23 overall.