Fighting Scots Tripped Up During East Coast Swing Finale

Holding a slim 31-30 advantage at the halftime intermission, Worcester State College took control in the second half of play, blistering the nets at just over 58 percent (18-of-31) and pulled away from the College of Wooster en route to an 82-63 victory in a women's basketball non-conference match-up Tuesday afternoon inside Lancer Gymnasium in Worcester, Mass.

The Fighting Scots (3-4) and Lancers traded baskets for much of the opening half with neither team holding more than a five-point advantage in the opening frame. Wooster utilized a quick 5-0 spurt coming on a jumper by Kym Wenz and an old-fashioned three-point play from Christina Cruce, and held their largest lead of the contest at 29-24 with 2:32 showing on the first-half clock. However, the Lancers rattled off a 6-2 run to end the half, and trailed by one at the intermission.

Each team posted nearly identical marks from the field in the first stanza, as Wooster connected on 13-of-31 and 2-of-5 from three-point range, while Worcester State (3-6) knocked down 13-of-32 shots and 3-of-7 from long distance.

The initial eight minutes of the second half flowed similarly to the first period as the two teams exchanged buckets and leads. However, the Lancers turned a 49-48 Scots' lead on a lay-up by Kaitlin Krister with 11:52 left into a 64-52 advantage just under five minutes later. On the ensuing possession, Wenz knocked down a three-pointer with an assist from Meredith Wilson, but the Scots couldn't get any closer as Worcester State ran off an 11-0 surge over the next 2:46, and held their largest lead at 20 (75-55) on its way to the victory. 

Wenz produced an all-around game for Wooster once again, leading the way with 22 points, including 16 in the opening frame, in addition to six steals, five rebounds, and four assists.  Cruce posted her second career-high in as many games, pouring in 16 points following her 10-point performance on Sunday, and grabbed three rebounds in just 18 minutes of action on Tuesday.

For the Lancers, Reilly O'Keefe paced four players in double figures tying Wenz for game-high honors with 22 points, including 9-of-15 from the field, and adding 3-of-8 from deep. Alexis George chipped in with 18 points, five assists and four steals. Kathleen Foley came off the bench for 16 points, while Kaleigh Charette added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Scots are now off for 13 days over the Christmas holiday and will resume play on Dec. 29 when they travel to New Wilmington, Pa. for a battle with Westminster College (2-5) with tip-off slated for 6 p.m.