Women’s Basketball Opens MASCAC Action with 44-40 Loss to Worcester State
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University women's basketball team opened Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon with a 44-40 loss to the Worcester State University Lancers at Framingham's Athletic Center.
With the win, the Lancers improve to 6-6 on the year and 1-0 in the MASCAC, while the Rams dip to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
In a half that saw five ties and six lead changes, the Lancers took the frames largest lead, four points, midway through on an up and under move in the post by junior forward Meaghan O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.). The Rams closed the gap and tied the game at 21-21 on sophomore guard Kristen Hoffman's (Foxboro, Mass.) trifecta from the top of the circle with 1:26 on the clock. Hoffman led the Rams with six first half points on a pair of threes, while O'Keefe and Meaghan Burns (West Brookfield, Mass.) led the Lancers with six first half points apiece.
Freshman guard Nicole Bostic (North Easton, Mass.) put the Rams ahead by three in the opening minutes of the second half with a three point play, but the Lancers responded with an 8-2 run capped by a Burns layup on the break to retake the advantage, 29-26, with 14:40 left in the game.
A Bostic three pointer and a pair of Hoffman free throws tied the game and put the Rams back in the lead 31-29 with 11:55 on the clock.
The score would remain 31-29 for the next 5:18 as both teams struggled shooting from the floor. A Shannen El-Quasem (Rutland, Mass.) layup with 6:35 on the clock broke the scoring drought for the Lancers and tied the game for the 7th and final time. Madeleine Park (Blue Hill, ME) gave the Rams back the lead with a free throw at 6:07.
The Lancers answered with a 6-0 run fueled by five points from Burns to take the games largest advantage (38-32) and the lead for good. The Rams cut the Lancers lead down to three twice in the final two minutes, but were unable to get any closer as a El-Qasem put back put the Lancers back up five and they hit 4-of-8 from the line in the final minute to seal the win.
Burns led all scorers with a game-high 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and five rebounds, while O'Keefe finished just shy of a double double with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Rams were led by Park and Hoffman who finished with a team-best 10 points apiece. Park added nine boards and two steals, while Bostic finished with seven points and three assists.
The Rams return to action on Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m. at Bridgewater State, while the Lancers host Westfield State on Tuesday at 6 p.m.