The Ramblers remain undefeated against the state of Massachusetts, taking victory over the Massachusetts Minutemen 79-78 in what head coach Drew Valentine called a “funky” game. Here are three observations from the win:
Phil saves the day yet again
As the Ramblers trailed late in the game, senior Philip Alston took matters into his own hands, scoring the last eight points for the Ramblers before tying the game on a third-chance layup with 1 second remaining. He would go on to make the resulting free throw to put the Ramblers ahead by one.
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His free throw was the cherry-on-top for another strong performance this season. Alston led the Ramblers with 23 points, also collecting 6 rebounds.
Fouls played a large role
It was a struggle to find a consistent rhythm for both sides throughout the second half, as fouls became a more consistent occurrence as the game went on. Both teams were assessed a matching 24 personal fouls, each with two players fouling out.
As more fouls were called, free throws became much more prevalent, with both teams struggling to take advantage of the opportunity. Massachusetts clocked in at 71 percent while the Ramblers could only manage 67.7 percent.
Cohen’s comeback charge falls short
Minuteman forward Josh Cohen did absolutely everything to keep his team in the game, but would eventually fall just one point short. With Matt Cross not seeing the floor tonight, Cohen was tasked with leading the comeback effort, matching his season-high points total with 28 points to lead all scorers.
Cohen also led his teammates with eight rebounds, along with an assist and a block.
The Ramblers now hit the road, taking on Fordham on Saturday with a 12 p.m. tipoff on ESPN+.