Lancers Fall to UNH Wildcats in Cross-Divisional Play

DURHAM, N.H. – The Worcester State University Lancers took on Division I opponent, the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, Tuesday evening at the Lundholm Gymnasium, in turn falling 100-66. With the loss, the Lancers dip to 4-5 on the season, while the Wildcats improve to 6-3.

The game was scoreless in the first minute of play, until UNH's Iba Camara (Dakar, Senegal) made a layup 1:08 into the first half to put the Wildcats in the lead. Though, 30 seconds later, Worcester State's Marquez McKreith-Collins (Springfield, Mass.) returned the favor with a layup on the other end to tie the game at two. Just seconds later, Camara put the Wildcats back on top on another layup, only for Worcester's Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) to tie the game up at four on a jumper. The Wildcats had two unanswered buckets, until the Lancers came back with four points from McKreith-Collins and Brooks to tie the game up for one last time with 15:36 to go in the half. The Wildcats then went on a 24-0 run to bring the score to 32-8 with 7:21 to go in the first. Worcester State's Ryan DiBernardo (Springfield, Mass.) broke that run with a layup at 7:14, but the Wildcats would extend their lead to 23 just before the half.

Going into the second half with the Wildcats ahead 46-23, UNH added to their lead with a jumper and two three pointers, constructing the score to 54-23. Worcester State's  Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.), Manny Cabral (Roslindale, Mass.), Isaiah Tatum (Worcester, Mass.), and Aaron Anniballi (Milford, Mass.) began hitting three pointers mid-way through the second half, though it was not enough to catch up to the Wildcats as they stormed away with the lead and took the 100-66 victory.

The Wildcats' Tanner Leissner (Converse, Texas) and Camara led the way with double-doubles on the night, as they scored 20 and 18 points, and had 15 and 12 rebounds, respectively. Five other UNH players scored in double digits, including Daniel Dion (Cedar Park, Texas), Joe Bramanti (Andover, Mass.), Jacoby Armstrong (Sachse, Texas), and Pat McNamara (Arlington Heights, Ill.) with 11 points apiece, while Ronnel Jordan (San Antonio, Texas) added in 10.

Santos piloted the Lancers as he scored a team-high 18 points and marked two assists and one steal in 25 minutes of play. Santos went 7-for-17 from the field, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Also scoring in double-digits was Brooks while also coming up with a team-high nine rebounds (four offensively) - just one shy of a double-double. Two Worcester State players registered eight points –McKreith-Collins and Tatum – while Cabral and Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) scored six points apiece. Shakir marked a game-high three steals on the evening.

Overall, the Lancers shot 38 percent from the field, while the Wildcats shot 53.1 percent. Despite the loss, Worcester State had a superior free throw percentage over the Wildcats at 71.4 percent (5-for-7).

Next up the Lancers will travel to Western Connecticut on Thursday (Dec. 10) for a 7 p.m. tipoff.