Women’s Basketball Opens Season with 64-34 Win over Mount Holyoke

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – The Worcester State University women's basketball team opened up the 2017-18 season with a 64-34 win over Mount Holyoke in a Wednesday evening non-conference tilt.

THE BASICS

November 15, 2017

Howard Gymnasium

Score: Worcester State 64, Mount Holyoke 34

Records: Worcester State (1-0) | Mount Holyoke (0-1)

1^ST QUARTER

The first two minutes of the game were scoreless until Worcester State's Catherine Sweeney (Lowell, Mass.) made a free throw shot and then added to the Lancers' lead on the next possession, making a jumper for the 3-0 mark. The Lyons reached the scoreboard moments later on a free throw shot from Raquel Fitzpatrick (Providence, R.I.). The Lancers then broke away with a 10-2 run on buckets from Sweeney, Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.), Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H.), Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.), and Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.). Mount Holyoke's Katlyn Grover (Bernardston, Mass.) broke the Lancers' scoring binge with a jumper at the five-minute mark. Worcester State wrapped up the first quarter with an 8-1 run to set the score at 21-6 going into the second.

2^ND QUARTER

The Lancers began the second quarter with a 10-2 run to advance the score to 31-8. Mount Holyoke's Fitzpatrick came back with two consecutive shots mid-way through the second, though, Worcester State stood ahead 38-14 at the half succeeding a 7-2 run.

3^RD QUARTER

Following the intermission, Worcester State's Sweeney began the third quarter with an offensive rebound and layup. Her and Herring were the shooters for the first half of the third quarter until the Lancers saw points from freshmen Sam Maglione (Lancaster, Mass.), Cate Blatchford (Wenham, Mass.), and Colleen Cutting (Auburn, Mass.). The Lancers saw their largest lead of the game (35) with 1:08 remaining in the third.

4^TH QUARTER

Ahead by 31 heading into the fourth quarter, Worcester State continued to see a team effort in scoring. Berkel began the frame with a layup, from where Mount Holyoke scored two buckets before Surprenant made the scoring even in the fourth. Following a couple free throws from Fitzpatrick, the Lancers' Shaye Lane (Dracut, Mass.) and Karalyn Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) netted baskets. Mount Holyoke ended the game with two consecutive layups from Fitzpatrick, settling the score at 63-34.

BY THE BOOK

• Three Lancers (Berkel, Sweeney, Maglione) scored double digits, while Herring followed with eight points on the night.
• Maglione notched a 60 percent mark from 3-point range, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
• Defensively, Berkel, Sweeney, and Surprenant picked up six rebounds each, while Herring led with three steals and three blocks in the win.
• Mount Holyoke's offense was led by Fitzpatrick, Leah Hodges (New Haven, Conn.), and GraceAnne Woods (Glen Cove, N.Y.), while Fitzpatrick notched a team-high eight rebounds and a game-high four steals.
• The Lancers outshot the Lyons, shooting 39.1% from the field.
• Worcester State outrebounded Mount Holyoke, 45-36.
• The Lancers forced 16 Lyon turnovers, which resulted in 19 points for the Blue and Gold.
• Last year, the women's basketball team tipped-off the season with a 64-24 win over Mount Holyoke.

UP NEXT

The Lancers return to action this Friday-Saturday (Nov. 19-20) for the Worcester City Women's Basketball Tournament, hosted by Clark University.

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