Framingham State steps past Rivier, 78-64

(Nashua, NH) Freshman Andre Santana (Worcester, MA) scored 17 points as the Framingham State Rams defeated the Rivier College Raiders 78-64 in the 2011 Rivier College-All Metals Industries Men's Basketball Classic this afternoon.

Three other Rams hit the double-digit mark for points in the game. Senior Marcus McLaurin (Braintree, MA), sophomore Tyrone Figueroa (Revere, MA) and sophomore Juan Lopez (Holyoke, MA) recorded 13, 12 and 10 points respectively. Despite shooting 28% in the first half, the Rams (2-2 overall) turned it around in the second half and shot 43.9% from the floor in the game.

Rivier had the edge at halftime with a 33-25 lead but was outscored 53-31 in the second half and lost, 78-64.

The Raiders (0-3 overall) were led offensively by junior Garon Whitney (Dover, NH). Whitney registered 11 points while knocking down two three-pointers and collecting six rebounds, also a team high. Both junior Chris Foley (Oakham, MA) and sophomore Jake Nelson (Nashua, NH) added 10 points in the loss to account for all of the double-digit scorers.

Rivier will try to rebound from a tough start to the season on Tuesday night. They will travel up to New England College for a 7pm contest. Framingham State will return to action on Tuesday night as they host Colby-Sawyer College. Game time is set for 7:30pm.