W. Hartford, CT --- Senior Julie Frankian (Millbury, MA) drained 14 of her 18 points in the second half as she also added 10 boards and two helpers to propel Worcester State in a 76-67 triumph over St. Joseph (CT) in non-conference women's basketball action this evening at the O'Connell Center.
Other standouts for the Lancers (4-2) included senior Shannen El-Qasem (Rutland, MA/Wachusett) who pitched in with 14 points and five rebounds while junior Bianca Langford (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) had a solid line with nine points, eight caroms, five blocks, two steals and a duo of assists.
Freshman Nani Perez (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) chipped in with 12 points and five assists and off the bench sophomore Olivia Gardiner (Waltham, MA) and freshman Brianna Hackett (Hollis, NH) chipped in with nine and eight, respectively.
The Blue Jays (4-3) had four in double-figures highlighted by senior Brianna Ferraro (Waterbury, CT) who paced a balanced attack with 14 points.
Junior Stephanie DeJesus (Meriden, CT) and sophomore Carlee Putnam (Niantic, CT) both registered 12 points apiece as senior Heather Framski (Prospect, CT) dotted the box score in nearly every category, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds, seven helpers and five steals.
St. Joseph had the early 14-8 margin just six minutes into the contest before the Blue and Gold soon evened the score and a see-saw battle ensued between the two squads.
Following six ties and nine lead changes, the visitors emerged with the 35-34 edge on the back of a Perez field goal with 1:35 on the clock in the first period.
After Putnam canned the front-end of her bonus try at the line, senior Cheyenne Jennings (Worcester, MA/Wachusett) converted a lay-up and Perez sank another basket to help WSU open up a 39-35 lead at the halftime break.
With the Lancers holding the slim 43-42 advantage early in the second period, Frankian (seven points) and El-Qasem (six points) both contributed to a 13-4 surge which helped Worcester State open up a 56-46 advantage 5½ minutes later.
The hosts didn't go away easily as the Blue Jays converted six turnovers into eight points with four different players notching a basket in an 11-2 run to trail by one with 8:24 left in regulation (58-57).
The Blue and Gold though reeled off a 13-5 spurt over the next five minutes to take over the 73-63 margin for good. Hackett, Frankian and Gardiner all connected on triples for the Lancers in the barrage.
St. Joseph's never threatened again, missing key shots in the waning moments and WSU went 3-for-4 from the line to sew up the victory.
Worcester State shot a blistering 53 percent from the field (28-for-53) while finishing with leading margin in total rebounds (39-33) and points in the paint (34-22).
The Blue Jays only hit one third of their shots for the game (33 percent – 21-for-63), but nearly one third of their points was courtesy of a 77 percent performance at the charity stripe (20-for-26). The hosts also held advantages in points off turnovers (25-16) and second chance baskets (13-9).
The Lancers have a quick turnaround when they take on UMass Dartmouth tomorrow at 7 PM. St. Joseph entertains Conn College on Saturday at 1 o'clock.
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