WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University men's basketball team dropped an overtime heartbreaker to MCLA by a final score of 88-87 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference action at John P. Brissette Court.
With the loss, Worcester State's record drops to 7-9 overall and 3-1 in the MASCAC. MCLA improves to 5-0 in the league and 12-4 overall.
After a Tyler Spencer (Pembroke, Mass.) three-pointer with two seconds remaining in the half, Worcester State carried a 43-35 lead into the locker room, but MCLA came out ready to go in the second half.
Chris Cardoso (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) hit a three-pointer of his own early in the second half, giving the Lancers their largest lead of the night at 48-37. In response however, the Trailblazers went on an 11-2 run, cutting the deficit wto 50-48 with 13:51 to play.
The teams would battle back and forth for the remainder of the second half, and the game was still tied with under a minute to play in regulation time. With 31 seconds showing on the clock, senior Tyler Dion (Barre, Mass.) hit a clutch three-pointer from the corner, but moments later, after the teams traded free throws to make the score 78-75, MCLA's Noah Yearsley nailed an impressive three-pointer to tie the score with 4.4 seconds to play, forcing overtime.
The five minute overtime session featured five lead changes, but the final one went in favor of the visitors. With the Lancers ahead 87-86, Yearsley made another impressive clutch shot, rattling home an off-balance driving layup to give his team the lead, again with four seconds to play. A half court heave fell short in the Lancers' attempt at a buzzer beater, and MCLA escaped with the key win.
An unprecedented 11 players were in double figures in the contest, with six Trailblazers and five Lancers achieving the feat. Cardoso and Mike Demartinis each scored 18 to lead their respective teams, while Worcester State's Corey Olivier (Maynard, Mass.) finished just behind the leaders with 17.
Worcester State will return to the court on Saturday with a conference matchup at Fitchburg State.
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