Riverdale, NY --- Despite a final tally of 17 points, 14 rebounds and six assists by sophomore Julie Frankian (Millbury, MA), Worcester State was defeated, 77-71, by Mount Saint Vincent this afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action in the finale of WSU's New York City trip.
With the setback the Lancers fall to 2-3 while the contest marked the season opener for the Dolphins.
Sophomore Cheyenne Jennings (Worcester, MA/Wachusett) added 13 points and seven boards as senior Meaghan Burns (W. Brookfield, MA) and junior Kiesha Jones (Worcester, MA/Doherty) both notched 15 and 12 points, respectively.
The hosts were paced by junior Kelly Frasier (Staten Island, NY) who had a team-high 17 points while freshman Christina Barone (Staten Island, NY) (11 points) and senior Tanisha Montague (Brooklyn, NY) (10 points) were both in double-figure scoring.
Barone doled out seven assists and first-year Brittany Lee (Newton, NJ) pulled down a squad-best seven caroms for the Dolphins.
Mount Saint Vincent raced out to the early 19-2 advantage seven minutes into the first period as the hosts scored 11 points off five WSU's 11 miscues.
Worcester State, however, came right back with a vengeance and used a 17-5 surge to make the score a 24-20 contest with 6:45 on the clock. Jones sparked the effort with a three-pointer to start off the run and the Blue and Gold went nine-for-11 at the line to get back into the game.
Following a senior Desiree Rosa (Dumont, NJ) trifecta 32 seconds later, the Lancers continued to build on their momentum by outscoring their opponents 22-10 for the 42-37 edge at the intermission. Burns and Frankian combined for 13 points for WSU as both knocked down treys.
The visitors led 48-42 early in the second stanza before the Dolphins embarked on a 14-4 run to take over a 56-52 advantage with 10:57 remaining.
After one tie and two lead changes, the hosts took the 62-61 advantage for good on a lay-up by fourth-year Andrea Sinaly (Middle Villiage, NY) with 7:25 left in regulation. Mount Saint Vincent also built up the five point margin with just under three minutes on the clock (69-64).
Burns helped the Lancers stay within striking distance with a traditional three-point play at the 1:13 mark (73-71), but the Dolphins hit their free throws after consecutive WSU miscues to preserve the final score.
Both squads shot over 40 percent for the game and Worcester State canned 82 percent of their attempts from the line (23-for-28). The Blue and Gold, however, were plagued by 27 miscues that were converted into a 22-16 tally for over ¼ of Mount St Vincent's sum.
The hosts led in points in the paint (40-28), fast-break points (16-8) and offensive boards (11-7) while WSU held the final margin in overall rebounding (39-37).
Mount St. Vincent hit just four of their 18 bids from downtown and were 65 percent from the charity stripe (15-for-23).
The Lancers host St. Joseph (Connecticut) on Tuesday at 7:30 at WPI before the Thanksgiving break while the Dolphins head to Lehman for a 7 PM battle on Monday, December 2.