SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Powered by double-digit efforts from four players, the Worcester State University basketball team defeated Mount Holyoke College, 70-36 in non-conference action on Wednesday evening. The Lancers improve to 2-1 overall, while the Lyons slip to 0-3.
First year center Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass./Quaboag) notched a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lancers. She also had two assists, a block and a steal, going 7-of-10 from the field. Sophomore guard Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H./Hollis-Brookline) posted 14 points with a game-best five assists, while senior guard Natasha Gonzalez (Milford, Mass./Milford) added 12 points, including a 6-of-7 effort from the free throw line. First year forward Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn./St. Bernard's) added 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
For Mount Holyoke, the Lyons were paced by senior captain and guard Genelle Green (Windsor, Conn./Miss Porter's School), who notched her second straight double-double with a game-high 15 points and 10 rebounds. She also had three assists. First year guard Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) notched seven points with a block and an assist.
It was a strong effort by the visitors to open the game as the Lancers jumped out to a 14 point advantage (16-2) on a layup by Hackett. The Lyons responded with shots from Green and Hodges to cut the lead to 10 (16-6), but a jumper from first year forward Samm Toli (Taunton, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) and a shot from Berkel gave Worcester State a 22-8 lead after the opening quarter.
The Lancers continued to press in the second quarter as a layup from first year guard Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H./Pelham) made it a 22-point (33-11) advantage with 4:22 to play. A trey from Green at the 3:03 mark cut the MHC deficit to 33-16, but the visitors would head into halftime with a 41-16 advantage behind three buckets over the final 1:23 of the frame.
Worcester State held momentum straight into the third quarter as a pair of free throw makes from Gonzalez and a jumper by Hackett made it a 45-16 game less than two minutes in. The visitors continued to capitalize on the Lyons missed shots as a layup and subsequent shot from Gonzalez opened the score up by a 37-point margin with just 3:42 in the frame. Green once again hit the long ball with 53 seconds to go, but WSU headed into the final quarter with a 57-21 lead.
Mount Holyoke rebounded offensively in the fourth quarter as senior captain Kelly Stewart (La Cañada, Calif./La Cañada) nailed a shot from three-point range to make it a 57-24 game at the 8:59 mark. The Lyons closed the gap to 32 points (64-32) on a free throw make by junior guard Xajaah Williams-Flores (The Bronx, N.Y./Holderness School), but MHC would be unable to stop the hot shooting of the Lancers as Gonzalez posted two points from the free throw line and Herring added a final bucket for the victory.
Both teams return to action this Saturday as Mount Holyoke travels to Norwich University for a 1pm match against the Cadets. Worcester State travels to Pennsylvania, battling McDaniel at 7:30pm at the York College Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament.
