North Dartmouth, MA --- Senior forward Brandon Stephens (Dorchester, MA) scored a team-high 16 points as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team defeated visiting Worcester State, 85-68, in a non-conference game at the Tripp Athletic Center Tuesday evening.

Corsair junior guards Alex Klepadlo (Bernardston, MA) and Collin Burns (Chepachet, RI), along
with Stephens, led the charge offensively. Klepadlo netted 15 points, shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range, while Burns added 13 points with eight rebounds and a game-high four assists. Freshman guard Jon Pavao (Fall River, MA) added eight points off the bench. UMass Dartmouth shot 45% (33-of-73) from the floor, including 43% (12-of-28) from behind the three-point arc and 54% (7-of-13) from the free throw line.

Worcester State had three players amass double-digit points in the loss. Lancer sophomore forward Monte Goodwin (Boston, MA) registered a game-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting with six rebounds while freshman guard Emmanuel Ferraud (Worcester, MA) chipped in 17 points. Senior forward Dave Douillette (Bridgewater, MA) scored 11 points with four rebounds.

Worcester State shot 44% (23-of-54) from the field, 20% (2-of-10) from three-point range and 80% (20-of-25) from the charity stripe. The Corsairs outrebounded the Lancers, 40-35, during the contest.

Following the opening tip, UMass Dartmouth scored the first seven points, garnering a lead that they never relinquished. After the first four minutes of play, the Corsairs found themselves with a 12-6 advantage that they pushed to 42-17, after a 30-11 spurt over a seven-minute period.

With 4:10 remaining in the first half, a jumper by junior guard Paul Rose (Boston, MA) put the Corsairs up 48-21. The Worcester State outscored the Corsairs 7-6 over the final four minutes of the half, making the score 54-28 at halftime.

The Corsairs opened the second half of play on a 12-7 run, giving them a 66-35 advantage with 15:30 left to play. The Corsairs maintained a 30-point lead over the next six minutes, even reaching their biggest lead of 32 points, 78-46, with 9:26 on the clock. The Lancers built a 17-4 run over the final eight minutes of play, but it wasn't enough to dig out of the hole they were in, resulting in the final score of 85-68 in favor of UMass Dartmouth.

UMass Dartmouth improved to 3-3 with the victory, while Worcester State dropped to 1-6 with the defeat. The Corsairs will return to action when they host Tufts Thursday evening at 7 PM. WSU will host Colby-Sawyer Saturday in the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament at 5:30.

Release Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth Sports Information