By Kyra Tolley Asst. Sports Editor Framingham State women’s basketball defeated the Salem State University Vikings 66-63 in the MASCAC semifinals on the Rams’ home court Feb. 27. This win brought their overall record to 14-9 and their conference record to 6-4. Captain Katie Haselton, a senior, scored the first basket of the game while being fouled and converted the subsequent free throw. Salem then scored a layup after a missed 3-point opportunity from Framingham. The teams alternated possessions without any scoring plays until freshman Faith Greene confidently shot and sank a 3-pointer, assisted by senior Michelle Moreno. After two fouls against the Rams, the Vikings made four free throws. The game was tied 6-6, and junior Reese Perry came into the game for Greene. Moreno inbounded the ball to Haselton, who dribbled up the court and initiated a passing sequence that ended with the ball in the hands of senior Chloe Rayko. She fired off a 3-point shot that was all net to bring the score to 9-6. After a foul committed by Salem, Haselton received a pass from Perry, who set a screen to give time for Haselton to shoot a jump shot for 2 more points. Not only did Haselton show her ability to shoot, but on defense, she stole the ball from Salem under her own hoop and sent the Rams back on offense. Once again, Rayko received the ball and scored another 3-pointer. Each time the Rams sank a 3-point shot, the home crowd yelling “Boom!” resonated through the gym. With Framingham leading by 9 points, the Vikings scored a layup and two free throws to narrow the deficit to 5 points, but Perry had the last action of the quarter, a layup, to bring the score to 17-10 in favor of the Rams. The second quarter started slowly until freshman Jackie Schels recovered a defensive rebound and handed the ball to Haselton, who bounce passed to Perry for a quick layup. Neither team could sink a shot for several possessions, keeping the score 19-10. Haselton broke the stalemate with an impressive 3-point shot from the very center of the arc, assisted by Schels. The Vikings couldn’t score on their next possession, but a turnover by Framingham allowed them to score a 3-pointer, bringing the score to 22-13. Momentum began to shift in favor of the Vikings when they sank another 3-point jump shot. A foul committed by Framingham allowed the Vikings to score two more free throws, but Haselton responded with another 3-pointer to maintain the lead. Salem was still able to shrink the deficit to 5 points by the end of the second quarter, which ended with the Rams in the lead 28-23. Schels scored the first 2 points of the third quarter, but the Vikings controlled the next 2 minutes of play. They scored 6 consecutive points while the Rams could only score 2, resulting in only a 1-point difference. Greene was responsible for the next 5 points of the game - a 3-point shot and a layup. Salem answered with a layup of their own, but Greene was fouled while scoring another layup and converted the additional free throw. The next 2 points came from Schels, who proved to be reliable from the free-throw line, making five of six shots throughout the game. A few more scoring plays by each team brought the score to 42-35 with the Rams in the lead. Greene knocked down another 3-pointer to give Framingham a 10-point lead. Before the end of the quarter, Greene scored a layup and the Vikings responded with 4 more points of their own, bringing the score to 50-41. The fourth quarter started with little action beyond free throws for each team. During the Rams’ next possession, Greene scored a 2-point jump shot, but proceeded to foul out, ending her night on the court. After a missed jump shot from junior Kiara Cerruti, Perry, playing the center position in place of Greene, grabbed the rebound and scored a layup. Head Coach Walter Paschal said Perry’s ability to come off the bench was “huge” for the Rams. “She stepped up with big minutes. That's what she can do, and hopefully, she can carry that on into next year, too,” he said. Salem then scored 2 points during their next possession, but Haselton dribbled the ball up the court, passed it to Cerruti, and moved to get open again. Haselton found herself open on the left side of the 3-point line, received the ball from Cerruti, and shot the ball to gain 3 points for Framingham. The score was 60-47 and a win for the Rams seemed to be on the horizon, but four free throws, four layups, and two jump shots by Salem closed the gap to 65-63 with 13 seconds left. Salem made 23 of 27 free throws throughout the game to keep the score close. Two seconds were left and Haselton was at the free-throw line, trying to ice the game. She made one of two free throws, just enough to make the score a 3-point game. The Vikings were unable to score a 3-pointer in the final seconds to tie it up, earning Framingham a spot in the MASCAC Championship game for the second year in a row. The Rams shot 39% from the 3-point line, with Haselton, Greene, and Rayko leading the way. Haselton scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds during the game, giving her a double-double - an achievement that is not unfamiliar to her. She was also named to the MASCAC All-Conference second team for her performance this season. Haselton’s senior year proved to be her best, as she increased her season 3-point percentage by 10.6% from her junior year, bringing it to 36.0% for the 2024-25 season. She said she went into her senior season wanting to “give it all you got, walk away from this game, and be satisfied with the effort that you put in and the history that you've made as a team.” Paschal said Haselton is one of the best captains the team has ever had. “She's our leader and she's tough. She had four fouls and she stayed out of trouble at the end, so it was great.” After winning MASCAC Rookie of the Week eight times, Greene was also named MASCAC Rookie of the Year for her success during the 2024-25 season. During that time, Greene accomplished 10 double-doubles and was particularly impressive with rebounding. She started every game, averaging 10.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1 block per game. Greene said, “The people that are close to me will come and support me. At the end of the day, I just appreciate the opportunity. I thank God for the grace that He has shown me to be on the court.” The Rams traveled to Bridgewater State March 1, where they lost 76-65 in the MASCAC Championship game, finishing with an overall record of 14-10.