Leicester, MA --- The first game of Worcester City Women's Basketball Tournament saw the host Hawks of Becker fall to the Lancers of Worcester State, 73-30, on Friday evening at the Leicester Gymnasium.  It was the first contest of the year for Becker, who began their 2011-12 campaign at 0-1. Worcester State is now 1-1 on the season.

The Lancers were led by freshman Cheyenne Jennings (Worcester, MA), who led all scorers with 16 points while adding two rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Veronica Norman (Brooklyn, CT) came off the bench to score 12 points while collecting seven rebounds.

Second-year Meaghan Burns (W. Brookfield, MA) had ten points, two steals and six rebounds, with five of those coming at the offensive end. Sophomore Emily Barrett (Dracut, MA) came off the bench to stifle the Hawks' offense, swatting away four blocks and pulling down five rebounds in just 17 minutes. Senior Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven, MA) filled up the stat line with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Sophomore Chelsea Joubert (Westborough, MA) scored eight points and collected three steals to lead the Hawks.

Second-year Haley Ooms (Valatie, NY) finished with seven points and three rebounds while Senior Kristina Desnoyers (Adams, MA) added seven points. Sophomore Tatiana Mojica (Worcester, MA/Doherty) had a team-high four rebounds and one block.

The opening minutes of the game between the cross-town rivals saw the Lancers quickly open up a ten point lead capped off by a jumper by Norman that gave the visitors a 15-5 advantage.  The Lancers would finish the first half on another run, this time scoring 21 unanswered points capped off by a three-pointer at the buzzer by junior Kara Rogers (Lowell, MA) to take a 27-point lead into halftime, leading 42-15. The Lancers dominated the offensive glass in the first half with 17 offensive rebounds while forcing 16 Becker turnovers.

As the second period began, the Lancers picked right up where the first half ended, as they went on a 19-0 run to take a 61-15 lead, capped off by a three-point play by Norman. Despite a late defensive flurry in the closing minutes, the Hawks would come no closer.

For the game, Worcester State enjoyed a 55-21 advantage in rebounds while outshooting Becker 45 percent to 21 percent.

The Lancers will face the winner of the Anna Maria-WPI matchup in the tournament championship game on Saturday at 3 PM Becker will play in the consolation game on Saturday at 1 PM.

Full Release Courtesy of Becker College Sports Information