Worcester State 67, Fitchburg State 61
Worcester, MA --- Senior Reilly O’Keefe
(Warren, MA) registered game highs of 17 points and five assists to
help lead Worcester State to a 67-61 overtime triumph this evening
over Fitchburg State in women’s basketball MASCAC this
evening at the Lancer Gymnasium.
With the win, the Lancers improve their record to 13-9 and 7-3 in
the conference while the Falcons slip to 9-13 and 3-6 in the
MASCAC. WSC is now almost even with Salem State in the standings in
third place as they each have seven wins, but the Vikings have one
less loss.
With Worcester State trailing 47-34 with 5½ minutes left in
regulation, the Lancers outscored the opposition 21-8 to draw the
game even at 55-55 to force overtime. WSC was sparked by junior
Kathleen Foley (Hudson, NH) who jacked three treys
in the run – including the game-tying three pointer with 6.3
seconds – and they also went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe
down the stretch.
Fitchburg State was up 52-41 at the 3:38 mark, but three turnovers,
three missed field goals and a trio fouls at the wrong times
allowed the Lancers to get back in the game and erase the deficit.
With WSC down 55-50 with 16 ticks left, O’Keefe scored a
lay-up and then the ensuing inbounds pass was stolen to set the
stage for Foley who knocked down a shot that was beyond the
men’s three point line.
In the extra session, junior Alexis George
(Worcester, MA/Holy Name) opened the period with a lay up for the
Lancers. Fitchburg State would then commit three consecutive
personal fouls to put WSC on top 59-55 with 3:09 remaining as they
went for 4-for-6 from the free throw line.
Over the next two minutes, the Fitchburg State would use three
possessions to score six points off of field goals, but Worcester
State answered every time as O’Keefe knocked down a pair of
free throws and a jumper.
With FSC trailing 63-61, senior Bri Flanders
(Southampton, MA) put WSC up by four with 49 ticks left as she
recorded a lay up on a second chance opportunity.
The next 30 seconds would prove to be thrilling as O’Keefe
blocked a pair of Falcon lay-up opportunities and later drain the
clinching free throws to ice the game. Fitchburg State could have
sliced the deficit to two points in the waning seconds, but they
missed their last two attempts from the field.
Worcester State led in the opening frame by as many as 11 (20-9)
before the FSC went on an 11-2 surge to close the gap to just two
points at the intermission (22-20).
There were three ties in the first five minutes of the second
stanza until Fitchburg State took the lead on a field goal by
junior Kelly Rogers (Lowell, MA). The Falcons used a 19-7 run to
post their largest lead of the game at 47-34.
Foley notched 12 points off the bench off of four three pointers
while Flanders recorded 10 points and six boards. Charette had a
great all-around game with seven points, five rebounds and six
steals while George added 11 points. Sophomore Kara
Rogers (Lowell, MA) grabbed a team-high nine caroms while
she handed out four assists.
Fitchburg State sophomore Rebecca Goreham (Quincy, MA) tallied her
seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds
while junior Melissa Proffitt (Hubbardstown, MA) chipped in with 13
points. Rogers finished with 12 points and nine rebounds as
third-year Molly Maloney (Taunton, MA) scored 11 points.
The Lancers dished out 14 assists for 20 field goal attempts while
they also held advantages in points off turnovers (19-12) and
second chance points (17-11). The Falcons had a 44-40 rebounding
edge, but WSC held the lead off the offensive glass (17-15).
Fitchburg State shot 22 percent from the field in the first half
(6-for-27), but improved with a 55 percent performance in the
second period (12-for-22). Both teams shot poorly from the free
throw line, but scored a third of their point totals from the
charity stripe as WSC went 21-for-31 (68%) and FSC connected for
18-for-28 (64%).
Both teams continue MASCAC play on Saturday afternoon. Worcester
State looks for a chance to improve its conference standings when
they travel to first place Bridgewater State for a 4 PM match up.
Fitchburg State entertains Salem State at 1 PM