THE BASICS 
Lesley University, 68 vs. Framingham State College, 78

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (2-5, 0-0 NAC)
Framingham State College Rams (5-2, 0-0 MASCAC) 

Location: Framingham, Mass. - Logan Gymnasium

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2024

THE LEAD— The Lesley University men's basketball team kicked off a season-high eight-game road trip with a contest against Framingham State. Unfortunately, the Lynx came up short, 78-68 Saturday afternoon.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lesley offense started off fast as the Lynx raced out to an early 7-2 lead before the Rams were forced to call timeout. During the opening moments for Lesley, Jaxon Miles (Arlington, Texas) spearheaded the offense with seven points, including a made three.
• Coming out of the timeout, the Lynx continued their strong start and pushed the advantage to eight (17-9) after Austin Hamilton (Stafford, Va.) made a driving layup at the 13:44 mark. Despite the large lead, the Rams stormed back and cut the deficit to two (17-15) courtesy of a 6-0 spurt led by back-to-back threes from Kyle Philistin. 
• Although Framingham State pulled within a bucket, Lesley did not let the hosts get any closer as the squad grabbed its largest lead of the day (30-18) courtesy of a 13-3 run led by five points from Hezekiah Brown (Stafford, Va.) with 5:29 left in the first half.
• However, the Rams were able to cut into the deficit and went into the half only down six (36-30) thanks to a 12-6 spurt highlighted by six points from Adonis Vashon. 
• In the second half, after Lesley went up again by double-digits (40-30) from a Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) layup, the Rams offense woke up as the hosts went on a massive 37-5 run for their largest lead of the afternoon (67-45). During Framingham State's offensive outburst, Philistin led the way for the Rams with 12 points, which included two three-pointers. 
• Even with the large deficit, that did not deter Lesley as the squad stormed back and cut the Rams lead down to six with 1:21 left (72-66) behind a 21-5 rally before Framingham State called a timeout. For the Lynx, Rhodes led the charge with ten points, and Nathaniel Maldonado (Bronx, N.Y.) also chipped in six points, including the basket that made it a six-point game. 
• Despite the late push to make it a single-digit game, the Rams ended the game on a 6-2 spurt for the eventual 78-68 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• Rhodes was once again the leading scorer for the Lynx as the first-year guard finished with 18 points on an efficient 7-11 shooting, including 3-6 from three. 
• Lesley's other double-figure scorers were Miles with a season-high 15 points and Howard with 12. Howard has scored in double figures in six of his last seven contests.
• Angelo Blas (North Port, Fla.) paced the Lesley offense with a career-high seven assists. 
• For the Rams, both Philistin and Vashon led the way with 18 points each. 
• Makyle Hayes led Framingham State with 11 assists on the afternoon.
• Lesley's defense held the advantage in turnovers as the squad forced 21, whereas the Rams only generated 16. Both the Lynx and Rams scored 15 points off turnovers apiece. 
• Framingham State held the advantage in shooting percentage by going 50 percent from the field (25-50) compared to Lesley's 40 percent shooting (27-67). 

UP NEXT

• Lesley continues its eight-game road trip with a contest at New England College on Tuesday, November 26 at 7:00 p.m.