Worcester State Comes From Behind to Defeat MIT, 64-59, in Women’s Basketball

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A 14-6 run to open the fourth quarter helped propel Worcester State University to a 64-59 come-from-behind victory over MIT in a non-conference women's basketball game on Saturday afternoon. 

Gigi LeMay (Grafton, Mass.) had a huge day for the Lancers, with a game-high 28 points and 17 rebounds, to go with three steals and two assists. 

Senior Kylie Gallagher (Upton, Mass.) paced the Engineers with 21 points and eight rebounds. 

A three-pointer by senior Christina Antonakakis (Holmdel, N.J.) gave MIT a 14-8 lead with 57 seconds left in the opening quarter, but Sarah Blomgren (Lunenburg, Mass.) replied with a layup on Worcester State's next possession. 

The Lancers carried the momentum into the second stanza as they tied the score twice, the second time at 16 on a LeMay jumper. The Engineers countered with a seven-point burst, reestablishing a small lead midway through the quarter. Worcester State stayed close as a jumper by Katie Harynowicz narrowed the gap to 28-26 heading into halftime. 

A 6-2 spurt increased MIT's cushion to 34-28 at the 6:28 mark of the third quarter. The Lancers chipped away at the deficit, and after three ties, went up 43-41 on a jumper by Erin Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) with 29 seconds remaining. The Engineers knotted the score on two free throws by Antonakakis exactly 20 seconds later. 

Sparked by eight straight points from LeMay, Worcester State mounted its game-changing run which resulted in a 57-49 advantage with 5:29 on the clock. Despite the deficit MIT continued to attack as a trio of layups by Gallagher brought the hosts within two (60-58) with 44 seconds to go. LeMay and Gallella both went 1-of-2 at the free throw line, however a free throw by first-year Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) with seven seconds remaining kept the Engineers within striking distance. Gallella secured the win by draining both free throws with three ticks left. 

Antonakakis finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists while Nwogu registered nine points and seven rebounds. Senior Annika Sougstad (Mahtomedi, Minn.) grabbed four steals and six rebounds. 

Erin Gallella totaled nine points, six rebounds, and four assists. 

Both teams generated 30 points in the paint while MIT had a 9-8 edge in second-chance points. Worcester State led the way in rebounds (42-36), points off turnovers (20-8), and bench scoring (16-2). 

The Engineers shot 35.6 percent (21-of-59) from the floor, 25.0 percent (5-of-20) from three-point range, and 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from the free throw line. 

The Lancers shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor and 70.6 percent (12-of-17) at the charity stripe while going 0-of-6 from behind the arc.

Both teams will be back in action with road games on Tuesday, Dec. 7. MIT will travel to Framingham State University for a 7:30 p.m. start while Worcester State will visit Springfield College for a 5:30 p.m. tip off.