PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Worcester State University Lancers concluded their stay at the Arizona Shootout with a 64-40 loss to the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors Tuesday afternoon at the Phoenix Convention Center.
The game was scoreless during the first few minutes of play, until Eastern's Jill Ritrosky (Pittsfield, Mass.) made a layup only for Worcester's TaNajia Smith (South Windsor, Conn.) to tie it up just seconds later. A jumper was made by the Warriors to regain their lead, until Worcester State's freshman forward, Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) made a 3-point shot with 6:54 remaining in the first to give the Lancers their one and only lead of the game.
The teams battled with each other in the first, eventually for the Warriors to come out on top at the end of the quarter. In the second quarter the Warriors landed 17 points, while the Lancers were only able to score eight, resulting in a 34-19 halftime score. The Warriors dashed the score up in the third and fourth quarters, taking their largest lead of 28 with 3:29 left in the game.
Eastern Connecticut's Ritrosky guided her team with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Senior forward Erin Brooks (Billerica, Mass.) and junior guard Jordyn Nappi (Southington, Conn.) added in 11 apiece, while senior guard Victoria Pfohl (Trumbull, Conn.) put up seven.
Worcester State's Berkel registered a game-high 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks on the afternoon. Freshman guard, Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H.) scored eight points and had a game-high four steals. Smith and freshman center Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) put up seven and six points, respectively, for the Lancers.
Overall, the Warriors outshot the Lancers at 42.4% from the field, while the Lancers recorded a 31.5 shooting percentage. The Warriors also out-rebounded the Lancers 52-26, which led to 19 second chance points for Eastern Connecticut.
With the win, Eastern Connecticut advances to 7-3 on the season, while the Lancers drop to 3-7.
Next up, Worcester State will take on Suffolk University on Jan. 4 in Boston, before returning back to Worcester on Jan. 6 for their first conference matchup against MCLA at Clark University.