Worcester State Drops First Conference Road Meeting to Owls

Worcester, MA- After opening up the conference season on Wednesday with a hold off win over MCLA, the Worcester State Men's Basketball team (3-9, 1-0) travelled to Westfield State for a season starting, crucial road conference battle with the Owls.

Final

Worcester State: 64

Westfield State: 85

How it Happened:

Senior Ayme Daguilh would start the action for Worcester as they worked to make it 2-0 in conference play. A quick surge would put those chances at risk early as the Owls jumped out on a 14-0 run to build an early double digit lead. Worcester's defense would reset and slow the tide as they began to chip away at the lead. The shooting success from the Owls would manage to protect their lead in the first as they closed out the first with a 47% to 36% shooting percentage. Worcester's bench would play a large factor in the first as they recorded 19 points.

Worcester would look to the second half to put the pressure on the Owls with sophomore Joe Okla (Worcester, MA) and junior Dajon Burton (Brockton, MA) combining for some early scoring for the Lancers. The Owls managed to continue their scoring success to push out the lead while the Lancers defense worked to immobilize their offense. The shooting struggles and lost possessions  lingered with Worcester as they attempted to mount a comeback but Westfield held off the attempts as they claimed the statistical advantage in the second, pushing their lead out to over 20 points. Worcester would not concede though, as they reformulated their plans and continued to try to break into the basket, drawing fouls and putting continuing pressure on the Owls. The bench would again become a vital component for the Lancers as they attempted new strategies, where they continued to be the major contributors in the game led by junior Ethan Daleba (Dorchester, MA) with 13 points out of the 40 bench points tallied. Westfield would manage to hold off any Worcester plans for the 85-64 conference win.

Okla would lead the Lancers with a double-double in action with 17 points and 10 rebounds. 

What's Next:

Worcester State (3-10, 1-1) will return home on January 14th for a 7pm meeting with the Falcons of Fitchburg State.