Women's Basketball Wraps Up 2017 with Road Loss to Birmingham-Southern, 61-48

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham-Southern' s Kaitlin Hogan (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) recorded a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds to tip the Panthers to a 61-48 win over the Worcester State Lancers Thursday (Dec. 28) afternoon inside the Bill Battle Coliseum.

THE BASICS

December 28, 2017

Bill Battle Coliseum

Score: Birmingham-Southern 61, Worcester State 48

Records: Birmingham Southern (5-5) | Worcester State (5-5)

1^ST QUARTER

The Panthers began the scoring just five seconds into the game on a layup from Hogan. Elizabeth Philpot (Birmingham, Ala.) added in a pair of free throws to give Birmingham-Southern a 4-0 lead. Worcester State's Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) came back on the next possession to cut the hosts lead in half. The Lancers tied the game at 6-6 with 3:58 remaining in the first stanza following a jumper from Herring. Hogan put the Panthers ahead once again on a triple, but the Lancers' Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) matched that with a three to knot the score at 9-9. Cate Blatchford (Wenham, Mass.) put Worcester State ahead for the first time of the afternoon with 1:14 remaining on a triple, and Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) closed out the frame with a layup to put the Lancers ahead 14-9 heading into the second quarter.

2^ND QUARTER

Worcester State held the lead until Birmingham-Southern's Emilee Olsen (Marietta, Ga.) tied the game at 18-18 with 4:58 to go in the second quarter. The Lancers were scoreless for the last five minutes of the second period and the Panthers came away with a 22-18 lead heading into the intermission.

3^RD QUARTER

Misa Fujii (Sunnyvale, Calif.) launched a triple to start the third quarter to give the Panthers a 7-point advantage. Hackett trimmed the margin to just five with a jumper a minute later. Following buckets from Hogan and Berkel, Birmingham-Southern went on a 6-0 run ignited by Olsen to go ahead 33-22 with 5:52 to go in the frame. The Panthers saw another 6-0 run minutes later to see their largest lead of 15-points with 3:32 left in the third. Blatchford's 3-pointer and two Herring jumpers go the Lancers within eight, but Keneta Morris (Scottsboro, Ala.) tacked on a triple at the end of the third, giving the Panthers an 11-point lead going into the final quarter.

4^TH QUARTER

Worcester State saw buckets from Berkel, Kate Surprenant (Hollis, N.H.), and Hackett to trim the deficit to just six with 8:02 on the clock. Hackett got the Lancers within five two minute later after draining her third triple of the game. Worcester State kept the game close, until the Panthers exploded an 11-3 run in the last three minutes to conclude the game with a 61-48 score.

COUNT ME IN

• Hogan led all scoring and rebounding with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Panthers.
• The Panthers saw another double-double from Olsen who had 14 points and 11 rebounds with a game-high four assists. Philpot was two rebounds shy of double-double figures with 14 points and eight boards.
• Fujii added in six points on two triples, while Morris recorded seven points for Birmingham-Southern.
• Worcester State's offense was led by Hackett who scored 13 points, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
• Herring collected 10 points and seven rebounds, while Berkel picked up nine points and eight rebounds.
• Surprenant and Blatchford chipped in six points each for the Lancers.
• Each team shot 37% from the field, while Worcester State held the advantage in 3-point shooting 40%-to-25%.  
• The Lancers shot 100% (2-2) from the charity stripe, while the Panthers shot 80% (4-5).
• Birmingham-Southern held a 43-37 margin in rebounds.
• The Panthers forced 16 Lancer turnovers which led to 14 points for the hosts.
• 66% of Birmingham-Southern's points were scored in the paint.

UP NEXT

The Worcester State women's basketball team returns to New England next week as they will kick of the New Year with a matchup against Keene State on Jan. 3.

GET SOCIAL

Follow Worcester State Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube