Worcester, MA- On Thursday night, the Worcester State Men's Basketball team went on the road to Rhode Island College (RIC), hoping to bounce back from their hard-fought loss against Williams on Tuesday Night. The Lancers captured a much-needed road victory when they defeated the Anchorman by a score of 70-63.
As the game got tipped off, it was clear that both teams tried to set the tone on the defensive end. RIC forced two turnovers to jump to a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. Worcester State relied on their defense headed by Brandon Goris (Bronx, NY), which led to waking up their offense to go on a 7-1 run heading into the first media timeout with a 7-6 lead. It was a back-and-forth game halfway through the first half, as no team had more than a one-possession lead. Both teams exchanged lead changes for the remaining part of the half thanks to Worcester State's ten steals, while RIC controlled the glass at a 25-19 rate in the first half. Sam Dion (Barre, Mass.) hit a three as time expired to close the half on a 6-0 half to provide the Lancers a 35-32 lead heading into the locker room.
The game remained at 35-32 as the second half began. Worcester State started off the half on a 7-3 run and extend their lead 42-35. The score remained a three possessions lead for the Lancers as the second half reached 11 minutes. Anthony Rivera (Staten Island, NY) was able to nail a 3 with 8:25 remaining to cut the lead to 2 points at 51-49 and record his 17th point of the night. On the next possession, RIC was able to tie the game at 51. Just like the first half, both teams exchanged the lead for a few minutes before Worcester State's defense was able to clamp down the RIC offense. After the under 4-minute media time out, the Lancers were in a solid position to win the game with a 59-56 lead and having a favorable foul situation at a 6-3 advantage, which meant any RIC defensive foul put Worcester State at the line. Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, NC) was able to nail two big 3-point shots for the blue and gold to provide his team a 5-point lead with a little over 1:40 to play. Trying to run a positive offensive set that took away the clock, Joe Nuttall (Holden, Mass.) hit a 3 with under a minute to play to extend the Worcester State lead to 8 and help secure a 70-63 win.
The primary key to the Worcester State victory was the 19-10 turnover advantage over RIC. Hendrix (16 points) and teammate Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass.) (14 points) were the two Lancers who scored in double figures.
Worcester State (3-2) is back in action on Nov. 19 for a road contest against Gordon College with tip time TBA. Rhode Island College (1-3) will be back on their home court as they face Regis College on Nov. 19 at 3:00.