Lancers Charge into Second Half to tackle the Golden Bears

Worcester, MA- Coming off of back-to-back road wins, the Worcester State Men's hoops team hosted the Golden Bears of Western New England University tonight at John P. Brissette court. Western New England would prove to be a tough test on Tuesday evening, with their only loss of the young season coming against a ranked program. 

Worcester State got off to a hot start with a Zion Hendrix (graduate student; Alexandria Va.) three on the first possession. The Lancers offense was led throughout the first half by freshman Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, Mass.), who had a couple of highlight-reel plays including a reverse layup that turned into a three-point play as he was fouled on the way up. He coupled the and-one with a three-pointer on the following possession. He was also on the receiving end of an alley-oop set up nicely by junior Brandon Goris (Bronx, N.Y.). Though the Lancers provided the highlights and controlled the game for almost the entirety of the opening 20 minutes, Western New England would tie the game up with just a minute to go before the half, and would ultimately head into the locker rooms up 38-36. 

Worcester State came out of the half just about as hot as they came out at the beginning of the game, taking back the lead almost immediately. At one point they led by as many as 18 points, but Western New England would not concede any efforts. The Golden Bears came roaring back, cutting the deficit to just four points at 68-64 with 2:43 left in the second half. The Lancers were able to hold on and hit the free throws they were granted down the stretch as WNEU resorted to intentional fouls bringing the final score to 70-64. 

Nkrumah finished his impressive night with a team leading 22 points while Hendrix paced the Lancers with six assists. Junior Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) provided an important presence down low, leading WSU with nine rebounds, including three on the offensive end. 

Worcester State comes out of tonight's battle with a 5-2 record, while WNEU stands at 3-2. The Lancers will have a full week off with their next tilt scheduled for next Tuesday, another home