
Johnson had a team-high 15 pts, 7 rebs, and 3 blks
Box Score
PAXTON, Mass.- Junior Maurice Horton (Detroit, Mich.) led all players with 18 points and 12 rebounds to spark the Worcester State men’s basketball team to a 76-66 victory over Anna Maria on Tuesday night at the Fuller Activities Center.
From the start it was evident that the Lancers and AMCATS were evenly matched. The first half was tightly contested and saw six ties and seven lead changes. AMC outshot Worcester State 59.3% to 37.8% in the half and went into the locker room with a 37-34 advantage. The Lancers were able to hang close by converting 13 AMC turnovers into 18 points.
The second half saw seven lead changes as well, as both teams continued to trade punches. After a layup by sophomore Ryan Joyal (Marlboro, Mass.) at 12:48 the AMCATS held a seven-point lead with the score 53-46. The Lancers wouldn’t go away easily and rallied back to tie the score at 62-all on a layup by junior Kevin Gena (Lynn, Mass.). Gena would steal the ball on the very next possession and lay it in at the other end to give Worcester State the lead for good. The Lancers pulled away to end the game on an 18-4 run and capture a 76-66 victory.
Points off of turnovers turned out to be key difference in the game with Worcester State outscoring the AMCATS 29-8.
Horton’s double-double paced the Lancers while Patrick Hamilton (Templeton, Mass.), Brandon Fortes (Pawtucket, R.I.), and Kevin Gena all contributed double figures with 15, 12, and 12, respectively.
Sophomore Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) led the AMCATS with a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Brad Peterson chipped in with 12 points and five boards while sophomore Junior De La Hoz (Lawerence, Mass.) had 10 points and four assists in the tough loss.
The win improves the Lancers’ overall record to 6-5 on the season. Worcester State will take the court again on Thursday when they travel to take on Salve Regina. The AMCATS now drop to 3-9 on the year and will also return to action against Salve Regina at the Fuller Activities Center on Saturday.