Worcester State 85, UMass Dartmouth 74
North Dartmouth, MA --- The University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team built a 20-point
halftime and went on to defeat visiting Worcester State, 85-74, in
a non-conference game at the Tripp Athletic Center Saturday
evening.
After spotting the Lancers the first six points of the game, the
Corsairs got a pair of layups from senior point guard Reece
Freeman (Cambridge, MA), a jumper from junior guard
Jeff Macchi (Franklin, MA) and a three-point play
from sophomore forward Brandon Shelton
(Dorchester, MA) to take a 9-6 lead with 13:20 remaining in the
first half. WSC got layups from Ryan Acone
(Bridgewater, MA) and Dave Douillette
(Bridgewater, MA) to take a one-point lead, but Shelton and Macchi
followed with three-pointers, and UMass Dartmouth never trailed
again.
UMass Dartmouth used defensive pressure to force 21 first half WSC
turnovers, and used a 13-0 run late in the first half to take a
45-22 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first half. Junior forward
Matt Walker (Brockton, MA) scored eight points
during the run on a pair of three-pointers and a layup.
The Corsairs committed 13 fouls in the second half, and Worcester
State made 15 of 18 free throws. They cut the lead to 12 points on
a few occasions, getting to within 11 points just before the game
ended.
“We played well in spurts,” said UMass Dartmouth Head
Coach Brian Baptiste. “We sent them to the
line a few too many times in the second half, and they took
advantage of it. We got a 20 points lead in the first half by using
our defensive pressure and forcing them to turn the ball over. It
was good to win the game, but we have some things we need to work
on.”
Junior forward Brandon Shelton (Cambridge, MA) led
the Corsairs with 19 points, while Walker and Macchi each had 14.
Maurice Horton (Detroit, MI) of the Lancers led
all scorers with 24 points, Douillette had 14, Elijah
Sims (Worcester, MA) and Brandon Fortes
(Pawtucket, RI) each had 11, and Patrick Hamilton
(Templeton, MA) contributed 10. Horton grabbed 15 rebounds as WSC
out rebounded UMass Dartmouth, 48-35. Freeman had six assists and
four steals for the Corsairs.
The Corsairs improved to 3-0 with the victory, while the Lancers
fell to 0-3 with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action
when they visit Brandeis next Tuesday evening. Worcester State will
host Nichols on December 2nd.
Story Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth Sports Information