Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Lancers return back to action in Salem, VA this afternoon in the consolation game of the Cregger Invitational versus the Sewanee Tigers, who won the SAA conference championship last season. The Blue and Gold dropped a back and forth battle to host Roanoke yesterday afternoon and look to remain over .500 with a victory to close out their holiday trip south.

Final:

Worcester State: 69

Sewanee: 75

The first half action would see Sewanee grab the first points of the game but Worcester refused to allow the Tigers to get any great distance as they went nearly basket for basket, grabbing an early 3-2 lead off a junior Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, MA) three pointer that got the scoring started. The Tigers would  eventually grab a short lead back, but Worcester stayed in stride and kept the game close within, never allowing the Tigers to build any large advantage as senior Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, MA) and first year Jaylen Kirkland (Gardner, MA) were blocking the potential threats around the court in the first 10 minutes of action. Sewanee began to pull away in the middle of the first, with some deep threes, but the Lancers defense was ready to up the pressure both around the arc in the box. 

While the Worcester defense was putting the Tigers offense on notice, they struggled on the attack, shooting around 30% for most of the first. A time out with just over seven and half to go by Worcester hoped to change the flow of the game and claim a lead going into halftime. Senior Sam Dion (Barre, MA) looked to be changing the shooting odds for Worcester with a crisp three, but the Tigers picked up the challenge and extended their lead to their first double digit lead of the game as Worcester's offensive struggles extended through the remainder of the first half. The Lancers went cold for nearly the final five minutes of the game, with just Nkrumah threes, and a fast break lay up, breaking up the drought  as Worcester battled to keep the offensive gains of the Tigers to a minimum. As the final minute of the half clicked by, Worcester looked to put a dent in the 12 point lead. A number of forced turnovers by Worcester seemed to be rattling the Tigers in the final minute of action and a Dion steal and layup saw the team work their way from 16 points down to 13 going into the half.

Nkrumah would crack his shooting the code in his struggles late in the half to end the first with 11 points, leading the Lancers in scoring, while Rubenskas would claim the top spot in the half with four rebounds anda  block in the action.

The second half would kick off with the Lancers looking to improve upon their 32% field goal first half shooting and cutting down the hot three point shooting of Sewanee, who recorded 75% from behind the arc in the first. A minute and half into the second would see the Lancers grab their first points, off a Rubenskas box battle, to begin the scoring for the Lancers who hoped to build off the colder shooting Tigers that emerged on the court. While Worcester's pressure was forcing a number of missed opportunities for Sewanee, the offensive struggles continued in the second half, with shots bouncing around the rim, but failing to drop in for the bucket. On a positive note, strong shooting for Worcester from the free throw line helped the Lancers cut into the lead and bring the game back to within single digits as each team worked to get their shots heatened up on the court. Worcester appeared to finally find their shooting mojo as Nkrumah wracked in four points off assists from graduate student Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, NC) and Rubenskas to bring the game to within four with just over 12 minutes of action remaining. Hendrix would add his own pivotal points to the game with just over 10 minutes to play with a perfectly timed three that would see Worcester come back from a 13 point deficit to just a single point as the shooting struggles continued for the Tigers. 

A Rubenskas layup would grab Worcester their first lead of the game since early in the first, forcing a Sewanee timeout aimed at resetting their shooting struggles. The Tigers would tie up the game coming out of the break, leading each team to up their intensity on the court to find some breathing room as the teams traded baskets, shots and leads as the second half clicked away. A late surge from the Tigers would see their lead begin to expand as Worcester's defense aimed to cut down their chances and find their own offensive counter attack. The final minutes of the game, with each team sitting with bonuses, worked to capitalize on every situation, but the shooting struggles cropped back up for the Lancers allowing Sewanee to build back their lead and force the Lancers into more strategic play in a bid to grab the win. While the Lancers were able to cut into the lead, the Tigers held off the Lancers tactical attempts in the final minutes grabbing the 75-69 victory. 

Nkrumah would continue his offensive success, recording 27 points in the afternoon while Rubenskas would secure the double-double with 20 rebounds and 19 points.

Worcester State (6-6, 0-0) return to action next Saturday when they head to Fitchburg State to open up conference play at 2pm.