WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester State University women's basketball team rallied from 13 points down with under a minute to play in the third quarter to shock Keene State College by a final score of 66-61 Saturday afternoon at John P. Brissette Court.
With the win, Worcester State moves back above .500 at 4-3. Keene State continues to seek its first win of the season, dropping to 0-5.
Keene State senior Kenzie Bennett (Lake George, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer to push the Owl lead to 59-47 with 6:54 left in the fourth that could have been a dagger, but instead would be the final field goal made by the visitors on the afternoon.
A layup by freshman Erin Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) two possessions later got the Lancers rolling, and the hosts would go on a 19-0 run in just under six minutes to take the lead. Gallella would score six points on the run, including an impressive spinning layup in transition with 3:13 remaining, which cut the deficit to just two points. Her twin sister Elizabeth Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) and senior Catherine Sweeney (Lowell, Mass.) each scored four points for Worcester State on the 19-point swing.
A pair of free throws from Keene sophomore Jenny Freedman (North Hampton, N.H.) with three seconds remaining ended the run, but the damage was already done and Worcester State pulled out the stunning victory.
Erin Gallella and Sweeney were Worcester State's leading scorers on the afternoon, each finishing with 13 points. Sweeney was just one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards, matching a team-high with sophomore Sarah Blomgren (Lunenburg, Mass.). Junior Colleen Cutting (Auburn, Mass.) hit double figures in points with 10 on the day, while freshman Charlotte MacMillan (Brunswick, Maine) scored nine points on a trio of three-pointers.
Hailey Derosia (Vernon, Vt.) was the game's leading scorer with 15 points for the Owls. Bennett had 13 points, while freshman Katie Martineau (Farmington, Mass.) scored 12.
Keene State led for 36:45 of the contest, while the Lancers led for only 2:19. Worcester State led 2-0 for 19 seconds in the opening minute of the contest, before taking the lead for good on an Elizabeth Gallella bucket with exactly two minutes to play.
Worcester State will be off for over a week before they continue their four-game homestand with a matchup against Wellesley College on December 2. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
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