WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University men's basketball team picked up its first win of 2020 on Monday evening, defeating local rival Becker College 79-68 in non-conference action at John P. Brissette Court.
With the win, Worcester State improves to 4-8 overall on the season, while Becker drops to 7-6.
Becker shot nearly 50 percent from the floor in the opening half to take a 38-32 lead into the locker room. The Hawks were led by sophomore guard Mekhi Chester with 12 points in the first half, which included two triples. Senior Tyler Dion (Barre, Mass.) and junior Chris Cardoso (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) each put home seven points to lead the hosts.
The Lancers came out hot in the second half, opening the period on a 17-3 run to jump out to a 49-41 lead. The hosts would never look back from there, hitting nine threes in the second half to secure the 11-point victory.
Dion finished as the game's leading scorer, recording 23 points and hitting five of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Cardoso put home 15 points in the victory, while senior Cal Howes (Maynard, Mass.) and Corey Olivier (Maynard, Mass.) each scored 12.
For Becker, junior Mateus Ribeiro was the team's leading scorer with 17, while Chester finished with 12 points, all in the first half.
Next up for Worcester State, they will be off for over a week before opening conference play at home against Westfield State on Tuesday, January 14. Becker returns to the floor on Wednesday for a contest against Eastern Nazarene.
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