Women's Basketball Ends Semester with Triumph over Mount Holyoke

Worcester, MA --- Sophomore Meaghan O'Keefe (Warren, MA) recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Worcester State to a 48-36 victory over Mount Holyoke this evening at the Lancer Gymnasium.

With the win the Lancers have won their second straight contest to improve to 5-3 while the Lyons end December with a 2-7 record.

With the game knotted 22-22 at the intermission, Worcester State would go on a 12-2 run as freshman Meaghan Burns (Warren, MA) started the rally at the 17:23 mark and finished the spurt with a jumper for the 33-24 advantage with 12:44 remaining.

Mount Holyoke sophomore Stephanie Pascual (Lawrence, MA) then netted five consecutive points – which included a three-pointer – to spark an 8-2 scoring outburst as the visitors trailed 35-32 with just less than 10 minutes left in regulation.

Both teams then traded baskets over the next 90 seconds before the Lancers employed a 12-3 run to close out the contest. Worcester State used a stout defensive effort to help propel them to the victory as they held the Lyons to connect for one of their final seven shots from the field. Mount Holyoke also turned the ball over five times in the final eight minutes of the contest.

There were two ties and three lead changes early in the game before WSU got the 7-5 lead on a jumper by junior Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven, MA). The Blue and Gold led by as much as six points, but could not pull away in the final five minutes of the stanza.

Leading 22-17 with 3:01 left, Mount Holyoke junior Christine Chancy (Bay Harbor Island, FL) nailed a trey and scored a lay-up to help equal the score at the intermission.

Charette finished with 10 points and eight rebounds while Burns came off the bench to register eight points and four rebounds. Sophomore Kara Rogers (Lowell, MA) also scored five points, grabbed four boards, handed out four assists and swiped three balls.

Pascual paced the Lyons with a game-best 14 points with five caroms while Chancy gobbled up a season-high 12 caroms.

Worcester State held advantages in rebounding (41-36), points off turnovers (13-9) and second chance points (12-7).

Neither team shot well from the field as both teams were under 33 percent for the contest. Both squads also not do well from the free throw line while the Lyons were four-for-11 as the Lancers connected for 11 of their 19 attempts from the charity stripe.

The Blue and Gold will play a pair of games at the end of the month on their trip to San Antonio. WSU will play Southwestern at 6 PM on December 29 before they play Schreiner at 5:30 on the following day.

Mount Holyoke continues NEWMAC play with a home date against Wheaton on January 5 at 7 PM.