Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Lancers (11-8, 5-1 MASCAC) tipped off against conference rivals, the Fitchburg State Falcons (3-17, 1-6 MASCAC), in the team's seventh conference game of the season. The last time these two teams met, Worcester came away with the 75-53 win. The Lancers, coming off their first conference loss in over a year, last Wednesday, looked to get back into winning form in their rematch battle.
FINAL:
Worcester State: 72
Fitchburg State: 64
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a crucial loss against the MCLA Trailblazers last week, the Worcester State Lancers would have to bounce back and shake off their loss if they wanted to maintain sole control of the MASCACs top spot.
With junior Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, MA) winning the tip off, the scoring would open with a two pointer from senior Sam Dion (Barre, MA). Worcester State would jump out to an early commanding 26-6 lead, riding off the building momentum in the court as senior Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, MA) worked to gain the ten points needed to reach a career mark of 1,000 points. With 11:28 to play in the half, a Rubenskas inbounded layup would clinch the needed 10th point, But, the momentum of Worcester State's early lead would not hold for long as Fitchburg chipped away at the Worcester's lead closing the game up to nine points with just over three minutes remaining as the Lancers found all their early offensive shooting luck drying up. Luckily, the Lancer's momentum would slowly reemerge as they worked to prevent the Falcons from running away with the second half with some quick defensive actions of their own to force the Falcons into uncomfortable shots that would allow Worcester to hold a 34-29 lead into halftime.
The team work and defense by Worcester State University would become a focal point of the match, even more so in the second half, as the Lancers amped up their pressure to ensure the best opportunities to win the game. Not only was the team chemistry alive and well, the electricity bouncing off the walls from Lancer fans further contributed to their success.
Opening the scoring in the second half occurred after a missed call on junior Brandon Goris (Bronx, NY) which led to a lay up by junior Frederick Siayor (Worcester, MA). This would force a quick timeout for the Lancers. In a nail-biting second half, the Falcons were slowly but surely lessening their deficit. At one point in the match, the Falcons would only trail by four points with the score settling at 47-43. But, through valiant effort and a gliding agility from Nkrumah and Rubenskas off the boards, the Lancers would maintain the lead. With eight minutes left in the game, it seemed as if the Worcester State Lancers were set to hold on for the victory and ride out the offensive attempts from Fitchburg. As timeouts dwindled and fouls wracked up, the Lancers held their composure, worked as a team and forced their way through to the 72-64 victory. Following the final whistle, Rubenskas would be Worcester State's top scorer with 16 points, to go along with his 9 rebounds, while Nkrumah would end the night with 11 rebounds. Fitchburg's Siayor would be their highest scorer with 25 points and 12 rebounds of his own.
WHAT'S NEXT:
With the win, The Lancers improve to (12-8,6-1) on the year and look forward to facing the Westfield State Owls on February 3rd at 2:00 pm. Fitchburg (3-18, 1-7) is also due up next versus Westfield State, when they host them on February 7th at 7pm.