By Taylor Kimmell Staff Writer The Framingham State Rams secured a victory with their first home game of the season against the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards Nov. 12. This 91-80 win brought the team’s overall record to 2-1. The Rams came into this game with a determined attitude. Junior JD Okafor said the team planned to “play hard and to make a statement.” According to Okafor and Marshall Kerley, a freshman, FSU had prepared to defend against zone offense from Wentworth prior to the game. “We knew they were going zone from the start of the game, and that let us, or let me, specifically, set my feet for shots, and let us be able to get the ball into the high place so we can score in the paint as well,” Kerley said. Okafor confidently stated, “You can't zone us. We have shooters, and we have people who can make plays.” Wentworth put the first points on the board with two 3-point jump shots during the first 90 seconds of the game. The Rams battled back with a 3-pointer from Kerley and, following another layup from Wentworth, a layup from sophomore Joshua Saint Jean, bringing the score to 8-5 for Wentworth. The Leopards maintained the lead, adding another 5 points to their score before FSU could score again on another layup from Jean. Then, another two 3-point shots came from Wentworth. Following a foul from the Leopards’ defense, Framingham was awarded two attempts from the free-throw line. Kerley sank both shots easily. Several turnovers later, Kerley scored again on a 3-point jump shot. The Rams were granted another two free throws, with Okafor scoring on one of them. On the following turnover, Wentworth was able to score another 3 points. The following minute, they took advantage of one of their two free throws, bringing the score to 23-15, the Rams trailing behind. For another 7 turnovers, the scoreboard remained stagnant. This was until FSU seized the opportunity for an impressive comeback. Framingham sank shot after shot and defended their side from any attempts by Wentworth. The fruits of their labor were seen when at 5:07, a lead change occurred, resulting in a score of 24 for the Rams over the Leopards’ 23 - a lead that would soon increase dramatically. Senior Kyle Philistin said, “I feel like when we started to press, they started to press, and they started to fumble the ball. … We took advantage of that.” Framingham continued to rack up points for the remainder of the period. Philistin scored on two free throws and a jump shot while Jean added points with a layup. The Rams’ defense held off the Leopards, allowing them only 4 points for the rest of the period. The Rams continued to tally points, with field goals from Kerley, Philistin, sophomores Dyree Rogers and Korban Gann, and senior Calvin Johnson. As the first period came to a close, the Rams held the lead over the Leopards with a score of 44-32. Framingham State continued to dominate during the second half of the game, refusing to allow Wentworth to pull ahead even once. Kerley started the Rams off on a high note, scoring 3 points on a jump shot that sailed effortlessly into the net. Wentworth fired back with a 3-pointer of their own, which was overshadowed by a layup from Rogers. Following another 3-point shot from the Leopards, Jean scored on a layup. The Rams refused to relent, matching each point from Wentworth with more of their own. Over the next 10 minutes, Wentworth scored 18 points and Framingham scored 17. Framingham maintained the lead, scoring on a free throw and a dunk from Okafor, a layup from Philistin, two free throws from senior Adonis Vashon, and a 3-pointer from Kerley. After these plays, the Rams held their ground with a score of 78-57. A brief time-out for Wentworth seemed to put the pep back into their step, as they scored enough to come within just 8 points of the lead. However, two more 3-point shots procured by Philistin and Kerley revived the Rams’ energy for the remaining 2 minutes of the game. Wentworth continued to attempt to chip away at Framingham’s lead, scoring on a jumper and two foul shots. Hayes, Rogers, and Philistin built up FSU’s lead, putting more space between the Leopards and victory. In the last 16 seconds, Wentworth sank a shot, but the measly three points awarded from it were futile, and Framingham came away with the win, 91-80. FSU scored on 34 of their 62 field-goal attempts, earning them a percentage of 54.8, compared to Wentworth’s 48.3%. The Rams’ took advantage of 12 of their 19 earned free throws, resulting in a 63.2% success rate. Kerley scored 28 of Framingham’s points during the game, an impressive number from any player, especially a freshman. “That was just my role for the game,” he said. “I'm just doing anything and everything that I can to help my team win. If they need me to go out and do that again, I'll do my best to do that,” he added. Kerley said his initial shock from getting so much game time has faded, allowing him to find security in his role on the team. According to Kerley, the other players have been more than welcoming, and he is excited for the possibilities that the season will bring. “I’m welcome to every challenge that’s come my way. I had a rough start the first three games, but now I feel comfortable,” he said. Kerley said this win has helped to boost the team’s morale. “We just wanted to get this win and prove that we're a real team this year,” he said. Framingham trailed behind Wentworth at the start, but their comeback was swift. Okafor said, “After the first 5 minutes, we realized that we're the better team, so we just had to execute and show we're the better team.” He noted the team’s unity and determination led to this victory, saying, “Everybody knew their role and bought into it,” which he believes will help them as the season progresses. Philistin said the team came into the game with two goals - pressure the ball and execute plays to keep bringing up the score. The Rams came close to losing the advantage multiple times, but were able to pull themselves together and keep scoring. Philistin noted, “As energy picked up, we made sure that everybody stayed high and kept pushing. “Once we stopped pressuring and we let them start to score and come back in the game, that's when it started to get close. But we locked in toward the end - kept pushing and then got the win.” In recent years, the team’s record has fallen short. They ended their 2023-24 season with an overall record of 6-9 and a conference record of 1-11. Just 3 games into the season, Head Coach Donald Morris Jr. acknowledged the team's potential for the upcoming season. “I think we're starting to buy into using our depth to be successful. We're a very young team,” Morris said. Morris noted the team has only one senior starter, and the bench must always be prepared to contribute to the game once they are called in. “We believe that there's more strength in numbers than just playing like five guys,” he said. Morris said retention has been at an all-time high during the start of this season - the best it has been in his four years coaching. “You can kind of see guys who were here a year ago, who were learning what we wanted them to do, are now understanding it more, and it's translating to them. “I think they're building good habits. ... We have guys who are here, and I told them, ‘Listen, you may not be able to reap the benefits of what the program is going to be in the next five or six years, but we need you to step in and help change the culture very slowly. “I think that's what we've been working on every day, whether it's practice, on the bus, or watching film consistently,” Morris added. Morris said the team will try to build on every game, learning and improving throughout the season. “Our big motto is ‘Try to keep finding winning moments.’ The more winning moments we can collect, the more we know we're going in the right direction, whether we win or lose,” said Morris. In their game against the Elms College Blazers Nov. 14, the Rams took the victory with a score of 85-76. This improved the team’s record to 3-1. The team travels to New England College Nov. 16, hoping to conquer the Pilgrims and come away with their fourth win of the 2024-25 season.