WORCESTER, Mass. –Worcester State received a double-double from freshman center Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) as the Lancers battled back from a double digit first half deficit to defeat visiting Salem State 76-57 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's basketball contest play Wednesday evening at WPI's Harrington Auditorium. 

"Britt ran the floor really well tonight and worked hard in the post," stated head coach Karen Tessmer. "Not only did Britt play well, but we saw a great contribution from all of our players on the court tonight."

Herring drained 12-of-16 shots from the floor on her way to a career-high 28-point, 10-rebound performance.  Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) and Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) reached double figures in scoring for the hosts with 16 and 13 points respectively while Natasha Gonzalez (Milford, Mass.) led all players with seven assists on the night.   

Worcester trailed 24-13 just three minutes into the second quarter but used a 19-8 spurt to forge a 32-32 halftime deadlock and then never trailed in the second half to salvage a season split with the Vikings. 20 of Herring's 28 points were acquired in the second half.

"We had a great second half effort, in particular, the third quarter when we outscored the Vikings 26-14," commented Tessmer. "It was a solid quarter where we had a lot of defensive stops and we scored baskets."

Worcester State shot 44.1 percent from the field, as Salem State only shot 36.2 percent. Worcester also excelled in their free throw shooting, going 91.7 percent from the stripe.

Malissa Saad (Worcester, Mass.) paced Salem State offensively with 21 points while Kaitlyn Byran (Lowell, Mass.) chipped in with 15 and Kate Lipka (Peabody, Mass.) added 10.

Both teams are now 6-15 on the season with Worcester State improving to 3-5 in conference play and Salem State dipping to 2-6 in MASCAC action.

"It feels good to get a win under our belt," commented Tessmer. The Lancers have this weekend off as their next competition isn't until next Wednesday (Feb. 10) at Fitchburg State.

Portions of this Release Courtesy of WPI Sports Information