DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Despite a close halftime score, the Worcester State University men's basketball team fell behind as UMass Dartmouth used a 13-0 second-half run, sparked by six-straight points from senior Abi Akanni (Fitchburg, Mass.), to ultimately outpace the Lancers by a 75-62 final score on Tuesday evening inside the Tripp Center.
With the win, the Corsairs advance to 5-2 on the season, while the Lancers dip to 0-7 and are still on the search for their first win of the 2016-17 campaign.
Both teams struggled to find the net out of the gate, but the Corsairs were able to push the lead to double-digits with six minutes remaining in the opening half. A 3-pointer by senior Chris Mendes (Somerset, Mass.) put the hosts' advantage to its highest point of the frame at 5:30, but the Lancers whittled the margin back down before the break. An 11-2 Lancer run put Worcester State back within a bucket with a minute remaining and the Corsairs carried a slim 30-28 lead at half.
Two quick layups from Lancer junior Jamal Mustapha (Worcester, Mass.) on the restart completed the visitors' comeback, giving Worcester State its first lead since three minutes into the game. The resurgence would be short-lived, as senior Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to silence the Lancers, and UMass Dartmouth's 13-0 run spanning five minutes would kick off shortly thereafter. A steal and corresponding fast-break slam by Akanni pushed the momentum swing fully back in favor of the Corsairs, as the hosts' lead would stay at double-digits for the final eight minutes of play.
UMass Dartmouth outperformed Worcester State at the foul line, where the Corsairs went 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) on the contest, the team's highest free-throw percentage since Jan. 23 of last season. The Lancers connected for just 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from the stripe.
The Corsairs forced 26 Lancer turnovers with a season-high 12 steals, and capitalized with 15 points off 13 Worcester State blunders in the second half.
Akanni posted a season-high 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, snagging seven boards including five on the offensive end. Sophomore Nick Portelance (Fairhaven, Mass.) registered his third-straight game with double-digit points and at least eight rebounds, finishing with 14 points and eight boards on the contest. Akanni, Portelance and Mendes produced 10 points apiece on the second half alone, with Mendes rounding out the double-figure Corsairs at 13 points for the game.
Mustapha led the Lancers with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) generated 13 and Marquez McKreith-Collins (Springfield, Mass.) added 10.
UMass Dartmouth has now prevailed in 11 of the last 12 meetings with Worcester State, and has won four-straight. All-time, the Corsairs are 31-11 against the Lancers.
UMass Dartmouth seeks its fourth-straight win on Thursday on the road against Roger Williams for a 6 p.m. tip-off, while the Lancers return home for a 5:30 p.m. start against Gordon on the same day.
Release Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth Sports Information