Men's Basketball snaps MASCAC skid with 91-76 win over Worcester State

North Adams, MA- The MCLA Men's basketball program snapped a 16 game MASCAC slide by placing five players in double figures as they sprinted past the visiting Worcester State Lancers 91-76 this afternoon.  MCLA earned their first win of the season in the conference and first since 2/10/16 against Framingham as they improved to 4-9 overall and sit at 1-2 in the MASCAC. 

Worcester State drops to 1-15 and is 0-3 in the conference.

Noah Yearsley led the Trailblazers with 23 points on 9-12 shooting including 5-6 from three point range.  Fellow freshman Mike Demartinis added 16 points including a 4-6 showing from beyond the arc.  Joe Wiggins collected 13 points, while Keiland Cross and Adam Conquest added 12 and 10 respectively.  

The Lancers were led by Shaun McCarthy's game high 27 point night.  He completed the double double with 10 boards.  Cal Howes added 16 points while Byrson Gulley collected 14.

Both teams kept within striking distance throughout a competitive first half which saw MCLA take a 43-39 edge in to the locker room.  MCLA shot a torrid 56% in the half, but Worcester stayed in it by forcing 14 first half turnovers.  In the second half, MCLA kept better care of the basketball while continuing to ride the hot hand of Yearsley, Cross, and Demartinis.

The trio combined for 34 of MCLA's 48 points in the second half.  Yearsley and Demartinis went a combined 6-7 from deep in the pivotal second half of play.

With the score at 45-41 in favor of MCLA, the Trailblazers would go on a 9-3 spurt to open up a double digit lead at 54-44.  The Lancers would get within 7 points a few times, but each time MCLA had the answer. 

At the 6:13 mark, it was 75-67 in favor of the hosts.  They would go on a 9-2 run to effectively put the game away as they built an 84-69 advantage.  They would hold Worcester State to just 9 points over the final minutes and cruise to victory.

MCLA owned a 43-36 edge off the glass and survived 22 turnovers in the win.

The Lancers shot just 39% in the loss.

MCLA is back in action on Wednesday when they head to Fitchburg State.