Men’s Basketball Finish Season with Loss to Worcester State in MASCAC Semifinal

WORCESTER, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball season came to a close this evening in the semifinal round of the MASCAC playoffs. The Trailblazers dropped a 76-52 decision to the top-seeded Worcester State. Quentin Gittens finished with a game-high 23 points and 13 rebounds for MCLA, but the Lancers had four players finish with double-digit point tallies to earn a matchup with Bridgewater State in the finals on Saturday.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024
• Score: MCLA 52, Worcester State 76
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 14-12 (MASCAC 7-5) | Worcester State Lancers 17-9 (MASCAC 10-2)

HOW IT WENT DOWN

• The game started with some give-and-take as the teams felt each other out. There were three ties and six lead changes in the first five minutes of play. Worcester State would take a lead that they wouldn't relinquish with 15:29 to go in the first half on a three-pointer by Sam Dion.
• The Trailblazers wouldn't go away without a fight; however, they kept the game at a single-possession difference for most of the first half, powered by 13 first-half points from Quentin Gittens. A three from Jake Bluestein with 5:47 on the first half clock cut the Lancers' lead to a single point before the hosts responded with an 11-6 run to close out the half and took a 38-32 edge into the half.
• Worcester made some adjustments at half-time and slowly built up a 10-point lead as the midpoint of the second half came and went. A jumper by Dion with 9:20 left in regulation kicked off a 22-3 run for the Lancers to salt the game away.
• Gittens finished with his 14^th double-double of the season, dropping 23 points and pulling down 13 boards, leading all players in both categories.
• Bluestein contributed nine points in 17 minutes off the bench, with all nine points coming from beyond the arc.
• Worcester State had a quartet of players finish with double-digit point totals, led by 18 points each from Brandon Goris and Ryan Rubenskas. Dion finished the game with 16 points, while Aaron Nkrumah had a double-double of 15 points and 12 boards.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 21-67 / 31.3%, WSU 28-61 / 45.9%
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 6-24 / 25%, WSU 4-22 / 18.2%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 4-6 / 66.7%, WSU 16-2 / 80%
• Rebounds: MCLA 33, WSU 46
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 18, WSU 33
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 2, WSU 7
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 20, WSU 38
• Bench Points: MCLA 16, WSU 9

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