Becker 87, Worcester State 68
Worcester, MA --- Becker College (1-1) raced out to a 19-8 lead in the opening six minutes of the Worcester County Classic consolation game and did not experience much trouble en route to posting an 87-68 win over host Worcester State (0-2) Sunday afternoon.
Becker had four scorers in double figures, led by center Trey Jacobs (Lexington Park, MD) who poured in 18 points on 7-for-11 (64%) shooting from the floor. Guards Terrance Favors (Boston, MA) and D.J. Exum (New London, CT) each had 16 points while senior guard Travis Suber (Springfield, MA) pitched in 15 points for the Hawks.
Becker showed high energy on the defensive end throughout the game, holding Worcester State to 32% (23-for-73) shooting from the field as they blocked 15 shots while forcing 22 Lancer turnovers. The Hawks were led defensively by Exum's six steals and freshman forward Markus Wright (New Haven, CT) who had nine blocks in the game.
Worcester State clawed their way back into the game late in the first half, taking a 32-28 lead with 4:54 to go until the break, but could not hold on to the lead. Becker had a large 19-7 run lasting 6 ½ minutes midway through the second half to put the game away.
The Hawks were 21-29 (72%) from the free throw line while dominating inside with 48 points coming from inside the paint. Worcester St. had 18 offensive rebounds in the first half leading to 13 second-chance points.
Junior forward Maurice Horton (Detroit, MI) led the comeback with 13 first-half points on his way to a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds). Guard Elijah Sims (Worcester, MA) contributed 11 points, while junior forward Patrick Hamilton (Templeton, MA) chipped in with nine points and five rebounds. Horton also finished with a game-high six assists.
Both teams will play 7 PM games in their next contests. Becker will host Clark in their home opener on Wednesday while Worcester State heads out to take on UMass-Dartmouth on Saturday.
Story written by Ray Cotrufo - WPI Athletics Department