Worcester 67, Nichols 61
Worcester, MA --- Senior Reilly O'Keefe (Warren, MA) registered a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Worcester State to its third Worcester City Tournament Championship as the Lancers defeated Nichols 67-61 this evening at the Lancer Gymnasium.
The contest was a rematch from the 2006 tournament that saw WSC defeat the Bison, 61-51.
Bison first-year Michele Guerin (Chicopee, MA) led all scorers with 23 points as she also chipped in with four rebounds and three steals.
The Lancers came out of the gate hot, hitting six of their first ten shots, just over five minutes into the game, giving Worcester an early 14-2 lead. Nichols quickly responded, as they went on a quick 8-0 run, sparked by Guerin's five points, which cut Worcester State's lead to 14-10.
Worcester State maintained their lead, as Nichols would only come as close as three points, which came when junior forward Andrea Farris (Windsor, MA) converted a lay-up with 3:24 left in the half (24-21). The Lancers responded by going on a 6-0 run to end the stanza, highlighted by freshman guard Kara Rogers's (Lowell, MA) 3-pointer with just under two minutes to go, which sent both teams into the locker room with WSC leading 30-21.
Worcester State was led in the opening stanza by sophomore guard Kaleigh Charette's (Fairhaven, MA) seven points, eight rebounds, and three steal effort, while junior guard Alexis George (Worcester, MA), also chipped in with six points. Nichols College was led by Guerin's seven points and three rebounds, as well as four points from junior forward Jessica Nelson (N. Providence, RI). The Bisons actually had a higher field goal percentage (41%) than the Lancers (34%) in the half, but it was Worcester State's defense that forced 17 turnovers which limited Nichols offensive chances.
Worcester State continued its torrid pace as they started the second half on a 14-3 spurt, giving the Lancers a 44-24 advantage with 12:30 remaining. Guerin and Nelson kept Nichols in the game, as they combined for 18 points in a seven minute span to cut Worcester State's lead to 56-49, with just over 5:30 to play in regulation.
When it appeared Nichols was poised for a comeback, George drained a three, putting the Lancers back up by 10 (5:02). The Bisons were able to score a few late buckets in the waning minutes to get within six at 3:44 (60-54), but ran out of time as Worcester State held off Nichols to win the championship crown.
Worcester State shot just over 50% (16-for-31), while Nichols was held to shooting 40% (12-for-30) from the field. Free throw shooting kept Nichols close, as they went 11-for-15 (73%) from the line, while Worcester only made it to the line seven times in the half, and converted only two (29%).
O'Keefe dominated the second half for Worcester State, as she poured in 15 of her team high 19 points, and also grabbed five of her ten rebounds in the second frame. George also had a nice period as she added 11 of her 17 points, while grabbing three boards.
Nelson had a solid game as she was able to tally 16 points and five boards, while her teammate, Ashley Robidoux (Milford, MA) who played with four fouls for most of the second stanza, notched 13 points and three steals.
Charette and George each were tabbed to the All-Tournament Team for WSC while Nelson and Guerin earned the honors for Nichols.
WPI defeated Becker 53-36 in earlier action in the third-place game as the Hawks were paced by Heidi Miller (Sanbornton, NH) and the Engineers were led by Caitlin O'Connor (New Hampton, NH) who each earned a spot on the All-Tournament team for their respective squads.
Charette was tabbed as the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament.
Both teams will entertain home opponents on Tuesday at 7 PM. Worcester State tips off against UMass Dartmouth while Nichols will face off against Connecticut College.