Worcester State pulls away from Lasell Men’s Basketball

NEWTON, Mass. – Junior Shaun McCarthy (Oxford, Mass.) and Will Watkins (Southbridge, Mass.) combined for 32 points and 17 rebounds Thursday evening as Worcester State University defeated Lasell College, 76-53, in non-conference men's basketball action at the Lasell Athletic Center.

McCarthy posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, connecting on 7-of-9 shots from the floor, while Watkins matched McCarthy with 16 points while grabbing seven boards, draining 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Junior Cal Howes (Maynard, Mass.) added 11 points as the Lancers stopped a three-game skid and improved to 3-4 on the season.

Junior Stefan Masciarelli (Northbridge, Mass.) topped the Lasers (1-6) with 19 points and five assists. Sophomore Tommy Beauchemin (Lincoln, R.I.) scored a career-high 11 points off the bench, and classmate Liam Jacobs (Plainfield, Conn.) chipped in with 10 points.

Lasell had the advantage in the early going with an 11-1 lead six minutes in, including a crowd-pleasing dunk by Jacobs, but the Lancers answered with 12 consecutive points to pull ahead 13-11 at the midway mark of the first half. Five different players scored for Worcester in the rally, including three-pointers by sophomore Chris Cardoso (Jamiaca Plain, Mass.) and Watkins.

A long-range hoop by Masciarelli gave the Lasers the lead back, and they held it for five minutes, but the visitors tied the score at 22-all on a pair of free throws by McCarthy with just under four minutes on the clock. Worcester pulled ahead and took a 33-32 lead at the break.

The Lancers scored the first nine points of the second half while keeping Lasell off the scoreboard for more than four minutes. Worcester outscored the Lasers 15-2 over the first seven minutes to open up a double-digit margin (48-34), and had a 17-point bulge (55-38) at the midway point. Lasell couldn't recover and the visitors cruised to the victory.

Lasell managed to shoot just 23 percent from the field (17-of-73), including 14.8 percent (4-of-27) from three-point range.

The Lasers return to the court on Saturday with a non-conference match-up at MIT (3:00 p.m.). Worcester State also plays again on Saturday, hosting Connecticut College at 1:00 p.m.

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