Worcester State Pulls Away From Mount Holyoke in Defensive Struggle

WORCESTER, Mass. (Dec. 14, 2010) – Sophomore center Meaghan O'Keefe posted a double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds to push the Worcester State University women's basketball team to a 48-36 victory over non-conference foe Mount Holyoke College this evening at Lancer Gymnasium. The Lancers outscored the Lyons 26-14 in the second half to secure their second straight win.

Mount Holyoke was paced by sophomore guard Angelica Pascual, who netted a game best 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor. She drained three shots from beyond the arc and went 3-for-4 from the free throw line. The Lyons also received a boost from junior guard Christine Chancy, who finished with seven points and a game high 12 rebounds. Classmate Tricia Chase added eight points and five boards for the guests, who shot 31.1% (14-45) from the floor and 36.4% (4-11) from the charity stripe.

Worcester State (5-3, 0-0 MASCAC) used its size advantage to outscore Mount Holyoke 26-14 in the paint. The Lancers also finished with a 41-35 edge on the glass. Twenty of their rebounds came at the offensive end, where they were limited to 32.7% (18-55) shooting from the field and made just one three-pointer in eight tries. O'Keefe was joined in double digits by junior guard Kaleigh Charette, who collected 10 points and eight boards.

After falling behind 17-9 in the early going, Mount Holyoke got on track with back-to-back baskets by Pascual and Chase. Pascual got the rally started with her first three-pointer of the night, and Chase followed with a layup to slice the deficit to 17-14 at the 6:37 mark.

A pair of free throws by Charette put Worcester State in front 22-17 with 3:01 remaining in the first half, but Chancy closed out the frame with five straight points to level things at 22-22. She banked in a three-pointer at the 1:18 mark and put in a layup just over 30 seconds later.

Charette and O'Keefe each had eight points at the break for the Lancers. On the other side, Chancy and Pascual led Mount Holyoke with seven apiece.

Worcester State scored the first seven points of the second stanza to gain control of things. First year guard Meaghan Burns started the spurt with a layup and two free throws, and senior guard Kathleen Foley closed it out with a three-ball.

A jumper by Burns pushed the Lancers' cushion to 33-24 at the 12:44 mark.

Refusing to go away, Pascual responded with a layup and a three-pointer on Mount Holyoke's next two possessions to trim the margin to 33-29. She converted a pair of free throws with 8:44 remaining in regulation to make the score 37-34.

From there, it was all Worcester State. The Lancers outscored the Lyons11-2 down the stretch to ice things. Their final cushion of 12 points was their largest of the day.

Mount Holyoke (2-7, 1-3 NEWMAC) will resume its NEWMAC slate at home versus Wheaton College on Wednesday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m.