Worcester State Advances to Championship Game of Ken Wright ’52 Invitational after Defeating Suffolk 77-64

AMHERST, Mass. – A trio of Worcester State men's basketball players assisted in defeating the Suffolk University Rams in the Lancers' first game of the Ken Wright '52 Invitational, hosted by Amherst College. With the win, the Lancers advance to the championship game on Saturday (Nov. 21) where they will play Amherst College at 3 p.m.

Junior center, Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.), recorded a double-double, scoring 15 points and adding in a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard, Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) registered a team-high 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal on the night. Senior guard, Manny Cabral (Roslindale, Mass.) also scored in double digits, putting up 15 points on the board for Worcester State. The team went 100 percent from the free throw-line as Shakir went 4-for-4, and Brooks went 3-for-3.

Suffolk's junior Matt Duquette (Swampscott, Mass.) registered a game-high 22 points, and also a team-high eight rebounds. Off the bench, sophomore Matt McLean (Miami, Fla.) gave the Rams 14 points, going 4-for-7 from the 3-point range.

The Lancers had the shot percentage advantage not only in free throws, but overall shooting 46.9 percent from the field, and 37.0 percent from the 3-point line.

Worcester State had the lead for the entirety of the game. Junior Jamal Mustapha (Worcester, Mass.) put the Lancers up top with a layup just 10 seconds into the game. Shortly after, Cabral made a 3-pointer to increase the Lancers' lead to five. Suffolk kept bouncing back to cut the lead, but Worcester State did not allow the Rams to rise above at any point.

The second half was similar to the first, in that Worcester State widened their lead to double digits, but Suffolk kept making strides to tighten the gap. The Rams scored 10 unanswered points to keep the game interesting, though the Lancers went on an 8-2 expanse and held off Suffolk, ending up with the 77-64 win.