Occidental Downs Women's Basketball, 56-37, To Close Out West Coast Swing

Los Angeles, CA --- Senior Makenzie Brandon (Seattle, WA) netted 24 points to go with 16 rebounds, five assists and five steals as she helped lead Occidental to a 56-37 triumph over Worcester State in the final game of the Tiger/Panther Classic on Sunday evening. 

With the win the Tigers up their season mark to 6-3 while the Lancers slip to 4-7 with the setback.

Brandon did her damage with an 11-for-23 effort from the field while junior Elizabeth Messick (Reno, NV) was the other double-digit standout for the hosts with 12 points and 15 boards.

Senior Meaghan O'Keefe (Warren, MA) paced the Blue and Gold with nine points and 13 caroms while sophomore Shannen El-Qasem (Rutland, MA) chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds.

The opening frame was closely contested as it featured six ties and seven lead changes. Occidental held the largest lead of the period at 25-19 with 5:03 remaining, but the Lancers stormed back with a 7-0 run for the 26-25 edge two minutes later.

Brandon provided a boost for the Tigers as she poured in the final six points of the frame to help the hosts lead 31-28 at the break.

To start off the second stanza, third-year Michelle Naito-Lo (Monterey Park, CA) and Brandon hit early free goals for the 35-28 margin at the 17:41 mark before neither team scored another basket for 5½ consecutive minutes.

With 12:11 remaining Occidental broke the drought with a 9-2 spurt for the 46-30 edge with 7:33 remaining in regulation.

The hosts took advantage of poor shooting by the Lancers to build up a double-digit lead they would not relinquish.  Ahead 50-34 with under five minutes left, the Tigers closed out the game with a 6-3 surge for the final score.

Occidental outscored Worcester State, 25-9, in the final period alone and limit the Lancers to hit just four of their 28 attempts from the field (14 percent)

For the contest the Tigers connected for 38 percent of their shots from the field and only one of their 13 bids from beyond the arc. Occidental also dominated the paint (38-18), the transition game (16-7) and the glass (47-39).

Both squads return to action on Wednesday. Worcester State travels to Keene State for a 6 o'clock matchup while Occidental hosts East Coast opponent Emerson at 7 PM EST.