Men's Basketball Drops 72-67 MASCAC Decision to Worcester State

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Worcester State University men's basketball team posted a 72-67 victory over visiting Bridgewater State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup on Wednesday evening at Brissette Court.

The Lancers improve to 10-5 on the season and 2-0 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 11-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

Sophomore forward Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, Mass.) posted a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds to go along with four steals and three blocked shots to lead the way for Worcester State. The Lancers also received 13 points, five rebounds and four assists from junior guard Sam Dion (Barre, Mass.) as well as 11 points seven boards and a pair of assists from junior forward Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.). Graduate center Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass.) pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds (eight offensive) and added nine points for the hosts.

Graduate forward Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.) paced Bridgewater State with 13 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench, while freshman forward Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) tallied 14 points and rebounds, and freshman guard Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with ten points, four rebounds, a game-best six assists and two steals.

Both teams struggled with their shooting. The Lancers shot just 35.1% (26-74) on the evening while the Bears connected on 35.2% (25-71) of their field goal attempts. Worcester finished 7-for-23 (30.4%) from behind the arc and 13-for-22 (59.1%) at the free throw line. Bridgewater went 8-for-29 (27.6%) from three-point range and 9-for-12 (75%) at the charity stripe.

The Lancers used a 13-0 run to open up a 30-19 lead in the first half. Five different players scored during the spurt including three-pointers from Dion, senior guard Tayjaun McKenzie (Boston, Mass.) and sophomore guard Orlando Thompson (Dorchester, Mass.). After the Bears closed the gap to seven (31-24) following a Wetterlind layup, the Lancers closed out the stanza with a 14-5 run capped off by back-to-back three-pointer by Dion and Nkrumah to take a 45-29 lead into the break.

Worcester led by 13 (56-43) with 14:12 left to play in the second half following a McKenzie three-pointer. The Bears, however, held the Lancers to just one point over the next six minutes. A 10-1 BSU run, capped off by a Jennings layup, closed the gap to 57-53 as the clocked ticked down to eight minutes.

Clinging to a five-point lead (62-57) later in the period, a jumper by graduate guard Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, N.C.) followed by a Bjorn layup extended the Worcester lead to 66-57 with 4:18 showing on the scoreboard. The Bears then made one final push as a 10-2 BSU run, highlighted by five points from Wetterlind, cut the deficit to one (68-67) with just over a minute left to play. The Lancers missed a jumper out of a timeout, but Rubenskas came up with a clutch offensive rebound and Dion knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game (70-67) with just 30 seconds showing on the scoreboard. The Bears had two chances to tie the game but both three-point attempts were off the mark. Worcester went 2-for-4 at the line over the final 15 seconds to close out the scoring.

The Lancers forced 16 turnovers and held a 15-9 advantage in points off turnovers. The hosts also finished with a 21-13 edge in second chance points.

The BSU bench outscored the Worcester reserves, 31-15, led by Wetterlind's 13 points.

In upcoming action, the Bears entertain nationally ranked Christopher Newport University on Saturday afternoon at three o'clock. The Lancers host MASCAC rival Westfield State University on Saturday at noon.