Men's Basketball Ends Skid With 81-78 Triumph Over MCLA

Worcester, MA --- Sophomore Mike Gittens (Uncasville, CT) scored a game-best 23 points to lead four players in double-figure scoring as Worcester State defeated MCLA, 81-78, in MASCAC men's basketball action this evening at the Lancer Gym.

With the win the Lancers snap a seven-game losing streak to improve their record to 7-15 and 4-5 in league play while the Trailblazers slip to 7-14 and 4-4 in the conference circuit.

The Blue and Gold would erase what was a nine-point deficit at the intermission (39-30) by starting off the second half with an 11-4 run to knot the score up 43-43 with 17:16 left to play. After five lead changes and a trio of ties, the Lancers would then score seven consecutive points to take over a 62-55 edge at the 8:53 mark.

The Trailblazers, however, would respond with a tenacious half-court press and an 11-4 spurt as the visitors would equal the score 66-66 with 5:04 remaining.

Over the next 2½ minutes the two squads would go basket-for-basket and with 2:05 on the clock, junior Monte Goodwin (Belmont, MA/Boston) would convert a lay-up for the one-point margin (73-72).

MCLA senior Michael Young (Boston, MA) then answered by scoring two points in the paint to give his team the 74-73 edge before Worcester State took the lead for good with a second-chance basket by senior Frank Stephenson (Fall River, MA) with 1:02 left.

The Trailblazers would then have a chance to tie the game, but they would turn the ball over at half-court with 30 seconds left. After WSU sophomore Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MI) sank two free throws to push their lead to 77-74, the Lancers would wrap up the contest with four consecutive points from the charity stripe for the winning margin.

To open up the game, the lead changed hands on four occasions and the score was tied twice before MCLA went on a 13-4 run to push their advantage to 35-22 with 6:23 remaining, for their largest edge of the game.

The Blue and Gold, however, would chip at the lead and make it a nine point game at the intermission on a lay-up by Hunter with 91 seconds left in the period.

Stephenson would finish with 16 points and six assists for Worcester State as junior Kyle Ferreira (Westport, MA) and Goodwin would add 13 and 11 points, respectively.  Hunter, who failed to log his first double-double in five contests, had an all-around great game with nine points, seven boards and five dishes.

Young propelled the visitors with 17 points and five helpers while classmate Chris Harris (Boston, MA/O'Bryant) tallied 14 points and six caroms. Sophomore Tyriq Rochester (Orange, MA) came off the bench to score 11 points and grab five boards in 17 minutes of action for the Trailblazers. 

MCLA would hold advantages in four categories including total rebounds (37-38), points in the paint (46-32), offensive boards (23-12), points off turnovers (18-15) and second-chance points (22-18) as they shot 43 percent for the contest (30-for-69), but only made four of their 17 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Lancers, who outscored their opponents 51-39 in the second period, were red hot from the floor with a 54 percent margin for the game (28-for-52). Worcester State was connected for 68 percent from the field in the final stanza alone and hit 21 of their 27 free throw attempts (78 percent).

Both teams will return to MASCAC action on Tuesday evening. Worcester State hosts the early-game at 6 o'clock while the Trailblazers will once again forced to use the Mass Pike and play Westfield State at 7:30.