Worcester State 53, Wesleyan 51
Middletown, CT -- In the first-ever meeting between Wesleyan (3-3) and Worcester St. (5-4), the Lancers got a three-pointer from junior Kathleen Foley (Hudson, NH), her 14th trey of the season, with :09.8 left and it proved to be the difference as Worcester St. took the contest, 53-51. Wesleyan got off a 12-footer at the buzzer by sophomore Sam LaCroce (Prospect, CT), but the ball bounced off the rim to preserve the visitor’s victory.
At the 1:40 mark, Foley hit her second trey of the game as she finished 3-for-7 from behind the arc, breaking a 47-47 deadlock. Wesleyan sophomore Eileen Gaffney (Manhasset, NY), who scored 16 points and grabbed 11 boards, responded with a bucket at 1:22 and after a miss by the Lancers, gave Wesleyan only its second lead of the game at the :44 mark with a pair of free throws. Worcester State led most of the game and by as many as nine (16-7 with 7:33 to go) in the first half.
The Cardinals opened the second half with an 11-4 run to erase a 25-19 deficit at halftime, giving the home squad its first lead at 30-29. Sophomore Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven, MA) hit a second-chance shot at 13:20 to put the Lancers back up, 31-30, sparking an 11-4 run of their own for a 40-34 edge with 9:12 to go.
The series was capped by a freshman Kara Rogers (Lowell, MA) three-pointer. Wesleyan came back to knot the game at 42-42 on a basket by LaCroce (16 points) and the game went into the final two minutes deadlocked at 47-47.
Just before Foley's heroics, Wesleyan had a chance to extend its margin with :23 showing as junior McKinley Tennant (Swampscott, MA) went to the line for a one-and-one with her team up, 51-50. She failed to convert and senior Bri Flanders (Southampton, MA) cleared the board to help set up the winner.
Charette finished with a double-double for Worcester State, scoring 14 points along with 10 rebounds. Foley had 11 points while Flanders collected a game-high 14 rebounds.
Wesleyan closes out the 2009 portion of its schedule Saturday, Dec. 12 by hosting Hunter College. Worcester St. will be at Mount Holyoke Tuesday, Dec. 15 for its next action.
Release Courtesy of Weslyean Sports Information