KEENE, N.H. – After falling to Keene State 68-46 Saturday afternoon at the Wesleyan Tournament, Worcester State dropped their second straight game to the Owls Tuesday (Dec. 6) evening 56-49 inside the Spaulding Gym.

Worcester State took their first and only lead of the game on a layup from Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H.) just 15 seconds in. The Owls responded with an 8-2 run on shots from Rachel Bonnazio (Middlebury, Conn.) and Stephanie D'Annolfo (Tyngsborough, Mass.) to grab a four point lead until Worcester's Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) sunk a three to tighten the score to 8-7. The Lancers kept the score close throughout the remainder of the quarter, resulting in a 13-11 lead for the hosts going into the second frame.

The Lancers stayed within two points of the Owls until D'Annolfo started an 11-2 run with 6:16 remaining in the stanza. Keene State outscored Worcester State 17-10 to go into the break with a 30-21 lead.

Worcester State didn't allow the Owls' lead to surpass nine points throughout the first five minutes of the second half, until Sandi Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) scored two back-to-back shots to begin a 9-2 run, resulting in a 48-32 lead for Keene State going into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was the strongest for the Lancers as they outscored their opponents 17-8. The Lancers saw two back-to-back three's from Hackett, along with numbers from Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.), Britt Herring (W. Brookfield, Mass.), and Surprenant. With 1:11 remaining in the game, Hackett drained her second consecutive three-pointer to close the Owls' lead to six. However, the Lancers were unable to prevail and fell short 56-49.

The Owls' Vital led the team with a game-high 12 points, while Purcell followed with 11. Amanda Petrow (Methuen, Mass.) marked a game-high 14 rebounds, seven of which were offensive.

For the Lancers, both Berkel and Hackett tallied 10 points apiece, while Surprenant and freshman Catherine Sweeney (Lowell, Mass.) followed with eight apiece. Senior Bianca Langford (Worcester, Mass.) notched a team-high eight rebounds along with a team-high five assists on the night.

Keene State edged the Lancers in field goal percentage 31.0-to 30.5 percent, however, the Lancers outshot the Owls from the 3-point arc at 25 percent, and at the free throw line going 10-for-15.

The Owls scored 17 points off turnovers, and chalked 16 points on second-chance opportunities.

Next up, the Lancers return home to face Nichols College in a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Thursday (Dec. 8).