Frost knocked down a team-high 22 points and Phillips poured in 20 of his own as the Huskies rebounded from a season-opening loss to stand at 1-1 early in the season. With the loss, Framingham State drops to 0-2.
Frost and Phillips were two of four University of Southern Maine players to score in double figures as sophomore guard Foster Oakley (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue) and senior forward Bill Hardwick (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) chipped in with 15 and 11 points respectively. Frost was 4-for-5 from the field and a remarkable 13-for-15 from the charity stripe en route a career-high 22 points. Phillips added a game-high seven assists and three steals to compliment his 20 points.
The Huskies overcame a three-point halftime deficit (38-35) to earn their first win of the season, outscoring Framingham State 52-40 in the second half. After a jumper from sophomore center Brian Tobin (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) 12 seconds into the second frame gave the Rams a five-point 40-35 lead, the Huskies rallied over the next four minutes to take a six-point 49-43. The Huskies’ pivotal 14-3 run in the opening minutes of the half was started by one of five three-point field goals from Phillips. Frost added four points in the run while Hardwick drained a three-pointer and a lay-up.
The Huskies continued their hot-shooting the rest of the way and led by as many as 10 points late in the game to earn the 87-78 win. The Huskies shot a solid 50.9 percent from the field for the game connecting on 27-of-53 attempts from the floor and were equally as accurate from the three-point line connecting on 10-of-20 attempts from long range for a sparkling 50 percent mark.
Junior forward Derek Wigman (Pembroke, Mass./Silver Lake) led Framingham State with 24 points as three Rams scored in double-figures. Tobin added 17 points and sophomore guard Michael Costa (Holbrook, Mass./Boston College High) chipped in with 15 points.
Southern Maine returns to action Tuesday, November 22 in its home-opener against Bates College at 7:30 p.m. Framingham State plays again on the same date against Daniel Webster at 7:30 p.m.