Worcester, MA- Closing out the 2024 slate of action this weekend is the Worcester State Women's Basketball squad (4-4, 0-0) who will spend the weekend in Western Massachusetts as they take part in the Shooting Touch Tournament hosted by Williams. The Lancers will begin their weekend tonight, by meeting up with the Western New England Golden Bears in night one action.
Final
Worcester State: 55
Western New England: 67
How it Happened:
While Western New England would find the scoreboard first in the opening minutes the Lancers were quick to respond as senior Katie Hurynowicz (Tyngsboro, MA) would nail the jumper to begin what would become a back and forth opening two quarters. A three pointer late in the opening 10 would provide Worcester their first wad of the day as they seized an 11-9 lead before setting for a 13-13 score at the end of the first.
The second quarter would continue to see more of the same as sophomore Alana Smith (Chicopee, MA) would open the scoring action for the Lancers. The Golden Bears would again claim a piece of the lead but Worcester was never far in the mirror, matching point for point. A spurt late in the second would see Western New England aim to solidify their hold before the half while Worcester resettled in defense to stem their gains. The final two minutes of action would see the full offensive team effort by Worcester close the gap and send them into half down only two at 30-28.
Coming out of the half the Lancers were quick to reclaim the lead off a sophomore Mia Haynes (Worcester, MA) three to continue the back and forth nature of this game. The Golden Bears would again begin to build a bit of a lead but Worcester would not let them get out too far out of range, tying the game up again at 38 with a senior Abby St. Martin (Putnam, CT) layup. Another point burst in the final minutes would grab a slim six point lead for Western New England as the action moved into the final quarter.
The Golden Bears would try to seal the game off early, pushing their lead to 10, but like every other run this game, Worcester was on their mark. While the Lancers were able to bring the game back into single digits, the final minute's free throws would seal the game for the Golden Bears as they came away with a 67-55 win.
Hurynowicz would end the night with 16 points while sophomore Lena Waldron(Quincy, MA) and Smith would come up big off the boards with 8 rebounds in the night.
What's Next:
The Lancers (4-5, 0-0) will spend the night close by tonight before returning to Williams tomorrow for a 1pm meeting with the Regis Pride in their final regular season game of 2024.