WORCESTER, Mass. – UMass Dartmouth's Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) poured in a game-high 36 points with 15 rebounds to help the Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth defeat the Lancers of Worcester State in a Monday evening non-conference game, despite a comeback attempt from the Blue and Gold late in the fourth.

THE BASICS

February 5, 2018

Lancer Gymnasium

Score: UMass Dartmouth 82, Worcester State 75

Records: UMass Dartmouth (18-3) | Worcester Sate (12-10)

1^ST QUARTER

Off the tipoff, Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) found Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H.) for a quick Lancer lead. After a missed 3-pointer, Examond found Alicia Kutil (Franklin, Mass.) for a layup following an offensive rebound to knot the score and lead the Corsiars to a 12-0 run for a 10-poitnt lead with 6:22 on the clock. Worcester State broke the run with a pair of free throws from Catherine Sweeney (Lowell, Mass.), and then buckets from Surprenant and Herring to pull back within four. Worcester State got within two a minute later when Sam Maglione (Lancaster, Mass.) converted a triple for a score of 15-13, still in favor of the Corsairs. UMass Dartmouth ended the quarter with back-to-back layups from Kutil to head into the second ahead 19-13.

2^ND QUARTER

Examond began the second quarter with an and-one and another layup to give the Corsiars an 11-point advantage. Worcester State's Emily Carens (Northborough, Mass.) would put a layup for the Lancers, but Examond and Kutil kept netting baskets for the visitors. The Lancers cut the gap to nine halfway through the frame when Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) made two triples. UMass Dartmouth maintained the 9-plus point differential until Carens wrapped up the stanza with two consecutive layups for a 35-28 halftime score.

3^RD QUARTER

Leah Douty (Framingham, Mass.) started the second half with a layup 18 seconds in. The teams traded points on the next four possessions, but Examond kept scoring into the paint and extended the Corsairs' lead to 21 with 3:06 on the clock. With just under two minutes to go, Worcester State went on a 7-2 run to end the third with a 64-48 score.

4^TH QUARTER

The Lancers fought back in the final frame. After a layup from Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.), Worcester State's Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) ignited a 9-0 run to get the Lancers within nine two minutes into the frame. UMass Dartmouth held the Lancers to no more than a nine point deficit until Carens made a layup with 3:26 to go. The Lancers kept pushing back and got within five with 1:28 to go following a pair of free throws from Berkel. Despite the attempted comeback, Worcester State fell 82-75 as the Corsiars' defense caused a Lancer turnover with 15 seconds on the clock, turning into extra points for UMass Dartmouth.

A LOOK AT THE SCOREBOOK

• Examond finished the game with a double-double of 36 points, 15 boards, three assists, two steals and a block.
• UMass Dartmouth's Kutil posted 18 points while Jess Korzec (West Brookfield, Mass.) chipped in nine.
• Chelsea Houlihan (Wolcott, Conn.) guided the offense with a team-high five assists.
• Worcester State's scoring was spread amongst nine players. Berkel led with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds while Carens followed with 16 points.
• Herring and Malgione also hit double figures with 10 and 13 points, respectively.
• Surprenant earned game-high honors with six assists and four steals.
• UMass Dartmouth shot 53.2% (33-62) from the field while Worcester State logged a 41.8% (28-67) shooting percentage from the field.
• 78% (64-82) of the Corsairs' points were scored in the paint.
• Both teams shot below 30% from 3-point range.
• UMass Dartmouth held a 42-30 margin in rebounds.

UP NEXT

Worcester State hits the road this Saturday, and will travel to Fitchburg State for a 12 noon tipoff. UMass Dartmouth hits the road on Wednesday to take on UMass Boston in a league game, and then they return home on Saturday, hosting Eastern Connecticut in a 1 p.m. tilt.

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