Worcester St. Pulls Away in Second Half to Down Blue Basketball, 64-47

WORCESTER, Mass. – Worcester State University outscored Wellesley College basketball, 36-19, in the second half en route to a 64-47 non-conference victory over the Blue on Sunday evening at Lancer Gymnasium. 

Worcester State snaps a two-game skid and improves to 3-2 overall with the victory. Wellesley is now 2-2 on the season.

Worcester State junior Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) recorded a double-double, leading all players with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Herring also notched four blocks and four assists. Classmate Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) finished one rebound shy of a double-double of her own, securing nine boards while matching Herring with 14 points. First year Colleen Cutting (Auburn, Mass.) added 10 points, while sophomore Catherine Sweeney (Lowell, Mass.) had six points, five assists, and three steals.

Wellesley guards Kayla Jang (South Pasadena, Calif.) and Caitlin Aguirre (El Paso, Texas) each scored 11 points, with Jang adding a pair of assists and Aguirre knocking down 2-of-3 attempts from beyond the arc. First year Lane Arkangel (Redondo Beach, Calif.) chipped in 10 points to finish in double-figures for the third time in four games. Classmate Alyssa Cho (Hillsborough, Calif.) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

With Worcester State leading, 6-5, just past the midway point of the first quarter, the Blue put together a 9-1 run to jump to a 14-7 lead when Aguirre hit a three at 2:15. Worcester State first year Colleen Cutting (Auburn, Mass.) followed with a three of her own to pull the Lancers within four, at 14-10, at 1:40. Herring then hit layups on either side of Aguirre's second triple of the quarter, before WSU's Sam Ellis' (Grafton, Mass.) buzzer-beating jumper made the score 17-16 Blue at the end of the first.

Worcester State outscored the Blue, 12-11, in a back-and-forth second quarter that saw three tie scores and five lead changes. Worcester State grabbed a four-point lead when Herring hit a layup with 3:16 left before the half. However, the Blue rallied to the tie the score, sending the game into the break tied at 28-28 when senior Chelsea Brown (San Jose, Calif.) hit a jumper with just 20 seconds to play in the second. 

Worcester State went on to outscore the Blue 18-6 in the third quarter, using a 9-0 run to take a 46-34 lead when Herring hit a layup in the final second of the third. Wellesley cut the deficit to ten on three occasions in the fourth but would get no closer. Worcester State led by as many 19 points in the fourth before closing out the 64-47 victory. 

The Lancers buried 52% (26-for-50) of their chances from the field, while Wellesley hit on 27.1% of their attempts. Worcester State had a significant advantage in rebounds, 44-24, and scored 32 of their 64 points in the paint. 

Both squads return to action on Wednesday, November 29. The Blue will travel to Emerson to open New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play at 7:00 PM. Worcester State will play on the road at 7:30 PM at Connecticut College.