Framingham State Surges Past Fitchburg State, 64-52

London and Canela lead Falcons with 11 points apiece

FITCHBURG, Mass. (January 9, 2010) - Senior Colin London (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) and newcomer Rolffi Canela (Perth Amboy, N.J./Cardinal McCarrick) netted 11 points apiece but Fitchburg State dropped its first MASCAC contest of the season, falling to Framingham State 64-52 this afternoon.

ROLFFI CANELA

Framingham State held a slim two point lead after the break (28-26), but used a pair of scoring runs throughout the second half to pick up its fifth victory of the season. The Rams opened the second half on fire, posting an 11-4 run in the opening three minutes, before taking a comfortable 14 point margin with a 13-4 surge over the final four minutes of play.

Fitchburg State battled back from a nine point deficit at the 16:56 mark of the second, stringing together ten unanswered points to grab a 40-39 lead, but the Falcons lead was short-lived as the Rams rifled off their own 10-0 run to regain an eight point margin (51-43). Framingham continued to pad its lead down the stretch, converting 5-of-6 free-throws to seal its first MASCAC victory.

Senior Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) led all scorers with a game-high 16 points and eight boards, shooting 5-of-13 from the field and 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. Classmate Roderick Jackson (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge R&L) was also strong for the visitors with 11 points and eight caroms, while senior Darius Yarrell (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) finished with ten points and three steals.

Canela paced the Falcons attack with his team-best 11 points, hitting 3-of-5 from downtown, while London nearly missed a double-double with 11 points, eight boards and four assists. Freshman Blake Sheldon (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) rounded out the Falcons top three scorers with eight points.

Fitchburg State (3-9, 0-1 MASCAC) will be in action again next Saturday as it hosts Bridgewater State at 3 p.m. Framingham State (5-6, 1-0 MASCAC) will travel to Bridgewater on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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Framingham State 64, Fitchburg State 52