Women's Basketball Falls to Worcester State, 79-54

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Junior guard Catherine Sweeney (Lowell, Mass.) recorded a triple-double with 12 points, ten rebounds and 13 assists to lead the Worcester State University women's basketball team to a 79-54 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Bridgewater State University on Wednesday night at Brissette Court.

The host Lancers improve to 19-5 on the season and 10-1 in the MASCAC as they extended their winning streak to eight game and clinched at least a share of the MASCAC regular season crown. The visiting Bears fall to 12-12 overall and 7-4 in conference play. Bridgewater snapped a five-game winning streak.

Sweeney connected on 6 of 7 field goal attempts and she also added five blocked shots and a pair of steals. The triple-double marked Sweeney's second of the season.

Senior guard Kate Surprenant (Pelham, N.H.) scored a game-high 22 points for the Lancers to go along with four assists, while senior center Brittany Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) checked in with 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Herring finished 9-for-11 from the floor.

Senior guard Olivia DelGrosso (Ledyard, Conn.) paced Bridgewater State with 15 points, a career-best three blocked shots and two steals, while senior forward Kailyn Aguiar (Acushnet, Mass.) tallied 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting to go along with a team-best seven rebounds. Senior guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points and four assists.

Worcester led 34-29 at the break. After Bridgewater closed the gap to three, 36-33, following back-to-back layups by DelGrosso and junior forward Kayla Carter (Beverly, Mass.), the Lancers outscored the Bears 26-6 over the next 8 ½ minutes of the third quarter to open up a 62-39 lead. Surprenant scored 13 of her 22 points during the run. The Lancers got up by as many as 30 points (75-45) in the fourth quarter and coasted to the 79-54 win.

The Lancers shot 59% (37-63) for the game and assisted on 33 of their 37 made field goals. Worcester also finished with a 40-24 rebounding advantage, outscored the Bears, 58-34, in the paint, and held a 20-2 edge in fastbreak points.

Bridgewater shot just 37% (20-54) from the floor including 2-for-9 from behind the arc. The Bears also went 12-for-22 (54.5%) at the free throw line.

Both teams close out regular season and MASCAC play on Saturday afternoon. The Lancers travel to Westfield State University for a two o'clock game with the Owls, while the Bears entertain the Falcons of Fitchburg State University at three.