Men's Basketball Posts First Win In MASCAC Over MCLA

Worcester State 88, MCLA 74

Box Score

Worcester, MA --- Junior Maurice Horton (Detroit, MI) led three Worcester State teammates in double-figures as he poured in 30 points with 12 rebounds as the Lancers cruised to an 88-74 victory over Mass. College of Liberal Arts this evening on the first weekend of MASCAC action.

Worcester State (7-6) jumped to a 16-0 lead with 15:09 remaining in the first half before the Trailblazers (1-11) scored a minute later on a lay-up by sophomore Kris McLaughlin (Pittsfield, MA). WSC built a solid cushion to send both teams to the locker room with the halftime score 44-19.

After the break the Lancers extended their largest lead to 27 points with 16:20 left in the game (55-28) and didn’t let up down the stretch. MCLA trimmed the lead with a 10-3 run starting at the 6:55 mark to trail by 16 with 2:22 remaining, but Worcester State hung on for the easy victory.

MCLA improved their porous first half shooting (26%) to hit 50% from the field in the second period. They also outscored the Lancers 57-44 in the second stanza with 33 points coming off the bench compared to their counterparts who racked up just 12 points.

WSC parlayed 25 Trailblazer miscues into 28 points, with 20 points coming in the first half, while Worcester State also swiped 15 basketballs. The Lancers hit at a 45% clip inside the arc (15-for-33) in the first half and improved to shoot 63% (17-for-27) in the second.

Horton connected 11-for-18 from the field in the contest while he also shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Horton also finished with four assists and three steals.

The Lancers were also paced by junior Patrick Hamilton (Templeton, MA) who notched 12 points while sophomore Ryan Testagrossa (Athol, MA) recorded 10 points off the bench. Junior Elijah Sims (Worcester, MA) had a great all-around game with nine points, seven assists, six boards and four steals while freshman Raheem Lewis (Whitinsville, MA) handed out five assists in 17 minutes of action.

MCLA was led by sophomore Jon Greenburg (Antwerp, Belgium) who finished with a near double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds while freshman Chris Harris (Dorchester, MA) scored a team-high 16 points. Sophomore Mike Meany (North Adams, MA) added 12 second-half points while McLaughlin ended the evening with nine.

Both teams will continue MASCAC play on Tuesday evening at 7:30. The Lancers will travel to Westfield State while the Trailblazers will host Salem State.