FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Three players scored in double figures and Plymouth State University shot 58.7% from the floor as the Panthers cruised past Framingham State University, 91-70, in the season opener at Logan Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
Senior
Eli Pockette (Rutland, Vt.) and junior
Brady Hulland (Amston, Conn.) finished with 15 points apiece, while graduate student
Quinton Partee, Jr. (Atlanta, Ga.) added 13 points in the win.
Pockette opened the scoring with a three-pointer and the Panthers never trailed. PSU held a 14-12 advantage after seven minutes of play before using a 21-2 run over the next nine minutes to build a 35-14 lead. Plymouth State carried a 42-26 advantage into halftime and maintained a lead of at least 13 points throughout the second half.
Plymouth State opens the season 1-0, while the Rams start 0-1.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 91, Framingham State 70
- Plymouth State (1-0)
- Framingham State (0-1)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State controlled the opening tip, and Pockette immediately put the Panthers ahead with a three-pointer.
- The Rams stayed close over the opening seven minutes before graduate student Moussa Berete (Richmond, Va.) finished at the rim to spark a 21-2 Panther run. Hulland capped the surge with a layup to make it 35-14 with just under five minutes left in the first half.
- The teams traded baskets over the final minutes of the half, with Framingham State trimming the deficit to 42-26 at the break.
- Senior Ivan Yen (Concord, N.H.) connected from beyond the arc to open the second half, and the Panthers maintained their comfortable lead. Partee, Jr. got to the basket to extend the margin to 20, 61-41, with 12:44 remaining.
- The Rams whittled the lead down to 13, 73-60, with an old-fashioned three-point play with 6:31 left to play, but that was as close as the hosts would get.
- Pockette's three-pointer quickly pushed the margin back to 20, and the Panthers cruised the rest of the way.
By the Numbers:
- Pockette finished 6-for-8 from the floor and made all three of his attempts from beyond the arc to finish with 15 points and three assists.
- Hulland shot 5-for-9 from the field and 4-for-4 at the free throw line for 15 points, three rebounds and three assists.
- Partee, Jr. went 6-for-8 with six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
- Senior Cam Nell (James Island, S.C.) added nine points, five assists and four rebounds.
- Plymouth State held a 38-26 advantage on the boards and scored 48 points in the paint.
- The Panther bench outscored its counterpart, 34-10.
- Plymouth State shot 37-of-63 (58.7%) from the field and 6-of-15 (40.0%) from beyond the arc.
- The Rams shot 43.8% (21-of-48) and hit just 5-of-17 (29.4%) from distance.
- The Panthers have won each of the last five matchups and lead the all-time series, 7-5. This was the first meeting since January 2019.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State hosts MIT in the home-opener on Tuesday (Nov. 10) at 4 p.m.
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