Men's Basketball Falls Short with 69-65 Setback to Worcester State

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Worcester State University men's basketball team withstood a second half comeback as the host Lancers held off Bridgewater State University, 69-65, on Saturday afternoon at Lancer Gym.

Worcester State improves to 7-16 on the season and 5-5 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) standings. The Bears fall to 13-10 overall (6-4 MASCAC).

Senior center Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to pace the Lancers.

Senior forward Jeremy Bacon (Milford, Mass.) connected on 6 of 9 from inside the arc for 13 points, pulled down eight boards, and dished out five assists. Senior guard Aaron Anniballi (Milford, Mass.) led the Lancers in scoring with 17 points to go along with nine rebounds.

Senior guard Keyon Armstrong (Brockton, Mass.) led the Bears in scoring off the bench with 17 points while connecting on 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) added 15 including a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, while senior guard Patrick McGuinness (New City, NY) contributed 14 points.

Bridgewater State trailed 51-41 with thirteen minutes remaining in the second half. A pair of Armstrong free throws and a three-pointer jumpstarted the Bears' 11-3 run to cut the lead to 54-52. Armstrong tallied eight points during the spurt and capped it off with another three.

The Lancers went on a 11-5 run to gain a 65-57 lead with two  minutres remaining.

McGuinness went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe and freshman forward Rayshon Ward (Plymouth, Mass.) knocked down a pair to bring the Bears to within two, 65-63, with just 20 seconds left to play.

Worcester, however, went 4-for-4 at the line in the final eight seconds to secure the win.

The Lancers shot 43% (28-65) from the floor and went 7-for-10 (70%) from the charity stripe. The Bears connected on 41% (20-49) of their field goal attempts and converted 18 of 21 (86%) at the line.

Worcester dominated the boards as the Lancers outrebounded the Bears, 41-29, with an 18-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The hosts finished with a 25-7 edge in second chance points. Bridgewater was playing without leading rebounder Joseph Carty (Natick, Mass.). Carty is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Wednesday evening at 5:30. Bridgewater travels to Westfield State University, while Worcester hosts Framingham State University.