UMass Dartmouth Downs Worcester State, 85-74

Worcester State 85, UMass Dartmouth 74

Box Score

North Dartmouth, MA --- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team built a 20-point halftime and went on to defeat visiting Worcester State, 85-74, in a non-conference game at the Tripp Athletic Center Saturday evening.

After spotting the Lancers the first six points of the game, the Corsairs got a pair of layups from senior point guard Reece Freeman (Cambridge, MA), a jumper from junior guard Jeff Macchi (Franklin, MA) and a three-point play from sophomore forward Brandon Shelton (Dorchester, MA) to take a 9-6 lead with 13:20 remaining in the first half. WSC got layups from Ryan Acone (Bridgewater, MA) and Dave Douillette (Bridgewater, MA) to take a one-point lead, but Shelton and Macchi followed with three-pointers, and UMass Dartmouth never trailed again.

UMass Dartmouth used defensive pressure to force 21 first half WSC turnovers, and used a 13-0 run late in the first half to take a 45-22 lead with 1:49 remaining in the first half. Junior forward Matt Walker (Brockton, MA) scored eight points during the run on a pair of three-pointers and a layup.

The Corsairs committed 13 fouls in the second half, and Worcester State made 15 of 18 free throws. They cut the lead to 12 points on a few occasions, getting to within 11 points just before the game ended.

“We played well in spurts,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Brian Baptiste. “We sent them to the line a few too many times in the second half, and they took advantage of it. We got a 20 points lead in the first half by using our defensive pressure and forcing them to turn the ball over. It was good to win the game, but we have some things we need to work on.”

Junior forward Brandon Shelton (Cambridge, MA) led the Corsairs with 19 points, while Walker and Macchi each had 14. Maurice Horton (Detroit, MI) of the Lancers led all scorers with 24 points, Douillette had 14, Elijah Sims (Worcester, MA) and Brandon Fortes (Pawtucket, RI) each had 11, and Patrick Hamilton (Templeton, MA) contributed 10. Horton grabbed 15 rebounds as WSC out rebounded UMass Dartmouth, 48-35. Freeman had six assists and four steals for the Corsairs.

The Corsairs improved to 3-0 with the victory, while the Lancers fell to 0-3 with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they visit Brandeis next Tuesday evening. Worcester State will host Nichols on December 2nd.

Story Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth Sports Information