Worcester, MA --- Junior Dane Jobst (Athol, MA) finished with game-highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds as he helped pace Worcester State to an 81-73 victory over Framingham State on the opening weekend of MASCAC men's basketball action this evening.
Other standouts for the Lancers (7-4, 1-0 MASCAC) included third-year Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MI) who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds as senior Monte Goodwin (Boston, MA/Belmont) added 10 points.
Freshman Alex Lopez (Springfield, MA/Commerce) also had a great all-around game with a season-high 10 assists, nine points, five boards and two blocks.
Jobst had a fine night at the free throw line with an 11-for-14 performance at the charity stripe.
The Rams (7-6, 0-1 MASCAC) were propelled by first-year Joe McCabe's (Canton, MA) 19 points while senior Rico DePaolis (Watertown, MA) chipped in with 18 points.
Fourth-year Tyrone Figueroa (Revere, MA) recorded solid totals of 11 points, six rebounds and five helpers and junior Yemi Ajao (Randolph, MA) finished with nine points and a squad-best nine caroms.
As Framingham State held the 39-36 advantage early on in the second period, the Lancers used a 7-2 run – finished off by a senior Kyle Ferreira (Westport, MA) three-pointer – to go up 43-41 with 15:59 left to play.
Ferreira's play set the stage for a wild stanza that saw 10 lead changes and seven ties over the next 9:59 of game play.
At the 6:44 mark, freshman Tim Sheridan (Rutland, MA) nailed a pair of free throws to put Framingham State ahead, 61-60.
However, the Lancers would seize the contests momentum on the back end of a triple by Jobst and a jumper at the top of the key by Hunter for the 63-61 edge, just 90 seconds later.
Figueroa helped the visitors respond with a lay-up to make the score 65-63, but Worcester State used a 6-0 surge to open up a 73-65 edge with 2:45 remaining in regulation.
The Rams didn't go away quietly as they got within four twice on a DePaolis three-pointer with 57 seconds on the timer (74-70) and a trey by McCabe with 11 ticks left (77-73).
Worcester State answered the call and put the game away with four straight free throws for the final score.
Framingham State led by as many as 11 points midway through the opening frame (24-13) before the hosts were sparked by a traditional three-point play by Hunter to embark on a 13-3 run which helped the Lancers trail by just one at the 2:39 mark (27-26).
McCabe and DePaolis both knocked down trey's to maintain their distance in the final two minutes of the second half as the Rams led at the intermission, 35-31.
The game was decided by the Lancers ability to control the paint (38-26), the backboards (51-31), the offensive glass (16-9) and one quarter of their offense came from a 24-6 edge in second-chance points.
WSU also connected for 45 percent of their shots for the game (28-for-62) while Framingham State posted a modest 40 percent margin (27-for-68). The Lancers were also solid from downtown hitting seven of their 16 bids (44 percent) and they knocked back 75 percent of their free throws (18-for-24).
The Rams only committed 10 miscues in the contest (four in first half) and held a 19-12 advantage in points off of turnovers.
Both squads return to MASCAC action on Tuesday evening. Worcester State travels to Westfield State for a 7:30 showdown as the Rams host Bridgewater State at 8 PM.