No. 20 Albertus Magnus Edges Men's Basketball, 84-82

New Haven, CT --- Despite a game-best 18 points by freshman Alex Lopez (Springfield, MA/Commerce), #20 Albertus Magnus used a solid finish from the free throw line to post an 84-82 win over Worcester State in non-conference men's basketball action this evening.

With the win the Falcons up their record to 9-1 – with their lone setback to Division I Yale last semester. The Lancers slip to 6-4 on the campaign.  

Falcon senior Zach Douglas (Monroe, CT) netted a team-high 15 points off the bench while senior Jefferson Lora (Bronx, NH) recorded 14 points to go with nine boards and a trio of blocks.

Freshman James Jennings (Stratford, CT) also chipped in with 13 points as junior Julian Sanders (Trumbull, CT) and senior Arshad Jackson (Hartford, CT) both contributed 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Lopez did his damage for WSU off a 7-for-12 line from the field and he finished the contest with five boards and a trio of assists.

Junior Dane Jobst (Athol, MA) pitched in with 13 points and nine caroms while senior classmates Monte Goodwin (Boston, MA/Belmont) and Kyle Ferreira (Westport, MA) each collected 14 points apiece.

Third-year Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MI) ended his evening with 11 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes of action.

Albertus Magnus led 49-42 with 16 minutes left in regulation before the Lancers utilized a 13-4 run sparked by a traditional three-point play by Ferreira and finished off the rally on a three-pointer by Lopez to help the visitors claim a 55-53 advantage 3½ minutes later.

The contest then became a back and forth affair that included a pair of ties and 10 lead changes the rest of the way. Worcester State also led by five with 11 minutes remaining (61-56) and four at the 7:00 mark (72-68).

After Lora canned a pair of free throws to make the score, 81-79, with 2:29 on the clock, Ferreira made a splash with a three-pointer for the one point lead.

But Jennings helped the hosts respond with a pair of free throws at the 1:39 mark showing on the board to make the score 83-82. Worcester State then but missed a lay-up with 59 ticks left.

On their ensuing possession, the Falcons missed out on an opportunity to go ahead on a jumper to set the stage for a pair of tremendous defensive blocks by Lora to help win the game.

Lopez chucked up a three-pointer with 34 seconds left on WSU's next series, but he was rejected by Lora on the wing.

After Sanders made one-of-two from the charity stripe for the 84-82 game, Lora blocked Lopez one last time before senior Clayton Timas (New Bedford, MA) missed a lay-up for the potential game-tying score at the buzzer as Albertus Magnus held on for the win.

The Falcons originally held the 18-9 advantage eight minutes into the contest. The Lancers quickly used an 8-0 spurt to make it a one-point game with 9:43 left, but Albertus Magnus put up a pair of 11 point leads at the 7:23 mark and with 5:36 remaining.

With the hosts holding the 35-27 lead with just under five minutes to play, the Blue and Gold doubled up their opponents with a 10-5 skein to trail, 40-37 at the intermission.

Worcester State shot 44 percent for the game from the field (29-for-63), but struggled from the charity stripe as they only connected for 63 percent for the contest (19-for-30). WSU also held the 53-45 rebounding margin and the lead in points in the paint (44-36).

Albertus Magnus also did not capitalize on their opportunities at the free throw line with a final tally of 20-for-28 (72 percent) and they also were limited to 33 percent from the floor (28-for-84).

The Falcons did, however, hold a 28-8 lead in points off turnovers and they did hit eight of their bids from downtown.

Both squads will host conference opponents on Saturday. Worcester State opens their MASCAC slate with Framingham State at 5 PM while Albertus Magnus entertains Johnson and Wales at 7 o'clock.