By Tiffany Williams –
WORCESTER — Worcester State walked into Brissette Court Wednesday night with a mission and walked out with an 84-70 statement over Framingham State.
From the opening tip at 7:30 p.m., the Lancers dictated tempo, spacing and swagger. By the final horn, they had outshot, outpassed and outgunned a Rams team that simply could not keep up from beyond the arc.
Framingham State (12-10, 5-6) shot just 42.6 percent from the field and a frigid 18.2 percent from three-point range. Two makes on 11 attempts. In modern college basketball, that is playing with one hand tied behind your back.
Worcester State (10-12, 8-3) buried 9 of 20 from deep — a blistering 45.0 percent. That is not just efficient. That is backbreaking.
The Rams actually got 40 points in the paint. They attacked. They converted. Lorenzo Washington poured in 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 7-of-8 from the line. Joshua Saint Jean was a force inside with 18 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting. Framingham lived at the stripe, hitting 22 of 28 free throws.
But here’s the problem: basketball is not won at the free-throw line alone. It’s won in rhythm, in ball movement, in shot selection.
Worcester State assisted on 19 of its 32 made field goals. Framingham? Six assists. Six.
That is not offense. That is isolation and hope.
Jaydon Buckle set the tone early for Worcester State, scoring 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Daniel Wondie added 10 points with two three-pointers of his own. Tzar Powell-Aparicio came off the bench and drilled 2-of-3 from deep for 11 points in just 15 minutes.
And then there was the depth.
Worcester State’s bench exploded for 35 points. Framingham’s reserves produced 13.
Read that again.
Thirty-five to thirteen.
Camdyn Shoesmith delivered six points and six assists in 21 minutes, controlling pace and protecting the ball. Dajon Burton added seven points and four assists. Ayme Daguilh chipped in nine.
This was not a one-man show. This was a rotation.
At halftime, Worcester State led 41-32. Framingham had already shot 22.2 percent from three in the first half. The warning signs were flashing.
The Rams did improve their overall field-goal percentage to 50.0 percent in the second half, but they went 0-for from three after the break. Zero. Not one triple to stretch the floor, not one to swing momentum.
Meanwhile, Worcester State kept firing and kept connecting. The Lancers shot 50.0 percent in the second half and 44.4 percent from three after intermission. Every time Framingham tried to chip away, Worcester answered with a dagger from the perimeter.
The largest lead? Worcester State by 19 in the second half at the 15:52 mark. That is dominance.
Rebounds were even at 37 apiece. Second-chance points were deadlocked at 15-15. Points in the paint actually favored Framingham, 40-36.
But Worcester State owned the most important modern stat lines: three-point shooting and assists.
They also won the turnover battle 10-12 and turned those miscues into 14 points off turnovers, doubling Framingham’s seven.
Framingham’s starting five all logged heavy minutes — four starters played at least 35 minutes. They fought. They battled. But when your team hits just two threes in 40 minutes and generates only six assists, you are swimming upstream the entire night.
Worcester State, by contrast, rolled 11 players into the box score. Balanced minutes. Balanced scoring. Balanced attack.
No technical fouls. No drama. Just execution.
Officials Daniel Britt, Michael Maloney and Elvis Lizardo kept it clean in front of 137 fans at Brissette Court.
The trends tell the story: three ties, two lead changes. After that, Worcester State seized control and never let it go.
Framingham had a largest lead of six in the first half at the 12:25 mark. That feels like ancient history now.
Worcester State improved to 8-3 in conference play, tightening its grip and sending a clear message: if you can’t guard the arc, you can’t guard us.
Framingham State walks away with a lesson in modern shot math. Forty points in the paint is nice. Twenty-two free throws made is strong. But two three-pointers in a 40-minute game? That is not sustainable.
On this night, Worcester State spaced the floor, shared the ball and buried the Rams from long range.
Eighty-four to seventy. Clinical. Convincing. Complete.