Springfield 57, Worcester State 47
Worcester, MA --- Springfield sophomore Andrea Butler (Cohoes, NY) and junior Amelia Sapowsky (Ware, MA) each notched 17 points apiece to help propel the Pride to a 57-47 victory over Worcester State this evening at the Lancer Gymnasium in the non-conference season opener for both squads.
The first half of the game was very evenly played between the two teams. Worcester jumped out to a 14-6 lead thanks to three buckets from Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven, MA) and two more from Bri Flanders (Southampton, MA). The Lancers managed to maintain a 21-13 lead with 6:34 left in the first.
Springfield, however, managed to mount a comeback as they went on a 8-0 run - with five points by third-year Abby Connors (Douglas, MA) - to knot the game 22-22 with 2:15 remaining in the period. WSC though would take a two-point lead at the break as Charette netted a field goal in the waning seconds of the half.
Leading the way in the first stanza was Charette who chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds for WSC while the Pride were paced by Sapowsky's eight point effort. The Lancers shot 39% from the field (10-for-31), while they held to just Springfield to shoot 32% from the floor (10-for-26).
With both teams coming out of the locker room, play remained level as there were four ties and as many lead changes before Springfield took a 37-36 advantage on a pair of free throws by sophomore Kelly Slattery (Somers, CT) with 11:51 left to play. It was then that Butler helped the visitors take control of the contest as she scored 12 points of their 14 points in a span of 3½ minutes to take a 49-36 lead at 7:41.
WSC did mount a comeback as they trailed by just five with 4:11 left to play, but Springfield closed out the game with a 10-1 spurt to put the game out of reach.
The story of the second half was field goal percentage for both squads. Springfield connected for a blistering 62.5% (10-for-16) from the field, while Worcester State shot an anemic 15.2% (5-for-33). Free throws kept Worcester in the game, as they converted 11 of their 23 points from the charity stripe.
The Lancers were led by Charette's 12 points and 12 rebounds while junior Alexis George (Worcester, MA) was also in double-figures with 10 points. Senior Reilly O'Keefe (Warren, MA) finished the evening with seven points and a game-high five steals.
Connors had a great all-around game for Springfield as she grabbed six boards with five points and five assists while Sapowsky also dished out five helpers.
Worcester State will host the upcoming Worcester City Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening and face Becker in the opening round at 7:30 PM. The Lancers will play the winner of the Nichols-WPI contest in the consolation (2 PM) or championship (4 PM) bracket.
Springfield will play Bowdoin in the first round of the Eastern Connecticut Tournament on Saturday at 8 PM.