Worcester State 69, Clark 64
Worcester, MA --- Senior Maurice Horton (Detroit, MI/Burncoat) poured in a season-best 27 points with eight rebounds and four assists as Worcester State defeated cross-town rival Clark, 69-64, this evening at a full capacity Lancer Gymnasium this evening.
The Cougars (4-2) lead the all-time series 14-6, but WSC (2-2) has taken four out of the last six matchups and three straight.
The Lancers were also led by junior Dave Douillette (W. Bridgewater, MA) who notched 12 points with eight boards while sophomore Jamaal Atkins (Webster, MA) recorded 10 points with six rebounds. Junior Ryan Testagrossa (Athol, MA) and senior Patrick Hamilton (Templeton, MA) each tallied equal marks of eight points while Testagrossa added four assists to go along with three steals.
Horton scored his 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting as he went 3-for-4 from beyond the arch with a pair of free throws.
Clark was paced by sophomore Brian Vayda (Sturbridge, MA) who scored a team-high 20 points with three steals while senior Mark Alexander (Providence, RI) registered 17 points. Sophomore Mitch Renshaw (Rutland, MA) grabbed eight caroms while fourth-year Jack Minster (Manchester, England) chipped in with 9 points.
The opening stanza featured seven lead changes and three ties before Worcester State took a one-point edge on a layup by Atkins with 2:54 left in the period (32-31). Clark got within striking distance at two with 40 seconds remaining in the frame, but Horton hit an NBA range three-pointer to put WSC ahead 38-33 at the break.
The Lancers came out of the locker room and scored the first five points of the second half before the Cougars went on a 6-2 run to trim the lead to 44-41 at the 13:38 mark. With 11:03 remaining in regulation and Worcester State ahead 49-44, the Blue and Gold outscored the visitors 14-6 over the next 5½ minutes to extend their largest advantage of the contest to 63-51.
Clark went on a furious rally as the Cougars went on a 9-2 spurt to trail by five points with 1:26 remaining (65-60). With a minute left in the game, Douillette canned a free-throw to put WSC up by five before Alexander converted a layup to make it a four point game (66-62).
Over the next 30 seconds the Lancers tacked on a pair of buckets from the charity stripe to go up 68-62, but Testagrossa was charged with a foul to put Clark at the line. Senior Chris LoPiano (Franklin Square, NY) promptly made both of his attempts to trail by four. But the comeback was too late as Hamilton sunk a free throw to put WSC up by five for the final score.
Worcester State shot 53% from the field (27-for-51) for the game as they were hot from downtown making eight of 13 from beyond the arc (61.5%). Clark connected for 40% of their shots while they made just seven of their 22 attempts from three point land (32%).
The Lancers dominated the paint as they scored 30 of their 69 points while Clark took advantage of points off of turnovers with a 22-12 edge. WSC also held slim margins in rebounds (34-31), second chance points (14-11) and bench points (16-12). The Cougars committed just 12 miscues for the entire game.
Both teams continue non-conference play on Saturday. The Blue and Gold head to Regis for a 7 PM game while Clark travels to Endicott for a 1 o'clock tip-off.