FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Worcester State saw their three-game win streak come to an end at Framingham State on Wednesday evening as the Rams defeated the Lancers 74-57 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's basketball action at the Athletic Center.
The Lancers (8-8, 3-2 MASCAC) fought to keep pace with Framingham, who is undefeated in MASCAC play, but the Rams improved to 5-0 in the conference and 13-3 overall.
Gigi LeMay (Grafton, Mass.) led Worcester State with 21 points. She was 8-16 from the floor and added nine boards, three assists and two steals.
Flannery O'Connor and Gwendolyn Carpenter each had double-doubles in the win for Framingham.
O'Connor led all scorers with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 from the floor to go along with her game-high 14 rebounds. She added four assists, a steal and four blocks.
Carpenter tallied her double double with 13 points and a game-high 10 assists in the game. Katty Haidul chipped in with 21 points for the Rams and added eight boards, while Krysta Padellaro added 13 points of her own with five boards, three assists and three steals.
The first quarter was back and forth with multiple lead changes. The Lancers took a 7-6 lead on an Elizabeth Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) bucket with 4:07 on the clock.
The Rams closed the quarter with a 12-2 spurt, fueled by four points apiece from Padellaro and O'Connor, to take an 18-9 lead after one.
The Rams started the second quarter with four straight points, pushing the lead to 22-9.
The Lancers chipped away at the lead and pulled within three on a pair of LeMay free throws with 2:17 left before the half. The Rams closed the quarter with a 6-1 run capped by a Padellaro layup to head to the locker room leading 33-25.
The Rams started the third quarter with a 10-4 spurt pushing the advantage to 43-29 with just under seven on the clock. Haidul converted a three-point play on the spurt and Gwendolyn Carpenter capped the run with a layup in traffic.
Framingham State extended the lead to 14 before the Lancers closed the gap to nine (46-37) on an Abby St. Martin (Putnam, Conn.) jumper with 3:57 on the clock. The Rams closed the quarter outscoring the Lancers 8-3 to take a 54-40 lead after three. They extended the lead to 65-43 after a three-point play and a three from Carpenter with just over three minutes gone in the frame.
St. Martin was the only other Lancer in double figures with 12 points and eight boards off the bench. Elizabeth Gallella had 8 points, while Erin Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) scored led the way with four assists and two steals.
The Rams are back in action on Friday night when they host Bridgewater State for a MASCAC clash at 5:30 p.m., while the Lancers are scheduled to travel to Salem State on Saturday at 12:00 PM, weather permitting.