Worcester State Dominates Fitchburg State, 74-35

WORCESTER, Mass. – A trio of Worcester State University Lancers scored in double-digits Saturday afternoon to defeat the Fitchburg State Falcons 74-35 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play at the Kneller Athletic Center on the campus of Clark University.

Freshman center, Britt Herring (W. Brookfield, Mass.) steered the way for the Lancers with a double-double of a game-high 19 points and game-high 10 rebounds (six offensive). Herring also registered three blocks and two steals for the Blue and Gold. Sophomore guard, Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) netted 17 points and assisted six buckets for the Lancers. Junior guard, TaNajia Smith (S. Windsor, Conn.) scored 14 points off the bench and gave the Lancers two steals. Freshman guard, Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H.) scored nine points, while freshman forward, Samm Toli (Taunton, Mass.) added in eight. Senior guard, Natasha Gonzalez (Milford, Mass.) gave the Lancers five points, while notching a game-high eight assists and three steals on the afternoon.

For the Falcons, Shabeili Villa (Lawrence, Mass.) led the team with eight points, while Melissa Guglielmello (Paxton, Mass.) added in seven. Stephanie Leveillee (Worcester, Mass.) netted six points and had a team-high six rebounds against the Lancers.

In the opening quarter, Fitchburg State knotted the score at 5-5 early in the frame on a jumper form senior Erika Schneider (Rockland, Mass.) and trey ball by Villa with 8:47 remaining in the first quarter.

The Lancers responded with a 9-0 run on as Toli registered five points on a pair of free throws and a three pointer, while Gonzalez and Hackett added two points each to take a 14-5 lead before Fitchburg's Guglielmello converted a layup to make the score 16-8 after one quarter of play.

Following a bucket from Guglielmello, Worcester State added to its lead, going on an 8-0 streak on baskets by Surprenant, Smith and Hackett, en-route to taking a 30-18 advantage into the intermission.

Following intermission, the two team traded baskets on a layup from freshman Hannah Keohan (Lunenburg, Mass.) and jumper by Herring, which ignited a 6-0 Lancer run, led by six points from Herring and a free throw by Gonzalez for the 36-20 margin.

With the score 55-27 entering the fourth quarter, the Green and Gold cut into the deficit (57-31) on a pair of free throws by Leveillee and a layup from junior Briana Pelton (Acushnet, Mass.). The hosts answered with a 10-0 streak, keyed by four points from Smith, while Hackett and Toli buried three pointers en-route to the 74-35 final.

Worcester State outrebounded the Falcons 41-25 and also forced 32 Fitchburg State turnovers, aiding to 29 Lancer points off turnovers. The Lancers shot 38.1% from the field, while Fitchburg State shot 34.2% and struggled at the free throw line going 8-for-17 (47.1%).

With the win, the Lancers improve to 5-10 (2-1 MASCAC), while the Falcons absorb the loss and dip to 0-15 (0-3 MASCAC).

Next week, the Lancers will host Bridgewater State in a home game on the road at Fitchburg State for a 6 p.m. game on Wednesday (Jan. 20). The Falcons will return to action also on Wednesday, when they will travel to MCLA for MASCAC play.

Portions of this Release Courtesy of Fitchburg State Sports Information