Women's Basketball Falls To Worcester State

Worcester, Mass. – The Worcester State University women's basketball team used a strong second half to surge past the Framingham State University Rams  74-50 this afternoon  in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action.

Both teams finish the season an identical 7-5 in the MASCAC in a tie for the third place spot in the conference standings. By virtue of the conference's tiebreaker policy the Lancers (16-9) will be the third seed in next week's conference tournament, while the Rams (15-8) will be the fourth seed.

The Rams were led by double doubles from sophomore Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) and freshman Casie Thurber (Springfield, Mass.).  Rackliffe led the Rams with 13 points including 7-of-8 from the line to go along with 10 rebounds including four on the offensive glass.  Thurber racked up 10 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.  Sophomore Sarah Palace (Auburn, Mass.) was the other Ram in double figures with 10 points, while senior Nicole Bostic (Easton, Mass.) added nine.

The Lancers were paced by a game-best 24 points from Julie Frankian who connected on 4-of-10 from behind the arc and grabbed six boards.  Shannen El-Qasem chipped in with 12 points, nine boards, and four assists, while Nani Perez added 11 points and seven assists.

The Rams led by one at the half and extended the lead to three in the opening minutes of the second half, before the Lancers used a 19-5 run to take control of the game.

The Rams will host fifth seed Fitchburg State University in one quarterfinal of the 2015 MASCAC Women's Basketball Championship on Tuesday night at seven.  The winner will advance to face top seed Westfield State on Thursday in one semifinal.