AMCATS Strike Down Lancers 61-51

Courtyard by Marriott women's basketball tournament at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., Fri., Dec. 2, 2011 --- First Round Games:  Wesleyan University  (3-1)  76, Maine-Presque Isle (0-4)  32 ; Anna Maria College (3-1)  61, Worcester St. U.  (1-4)  51

Anna Maria (61) vs. Worcester St. (51) -- Anna Maria never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a 10-0 lead six minutes into the game as both senior Amanda Hevy and junior Alison McCarthy canned a three-pointer.  

Though Worcester St. closed to within a point, 14-13, and with 4:45 to go in the half, trailed just 17-16, the Amcats finished the half on a 13-3 run for a substantial 30-19 margin at halftime.  Again, three-pointers by McCarthy and freshman Katie Pryor triggered the burst.

 Anna Maria shot 6-for-10 from behind the arc in the period, accounting for 18 of the 30 points.  The lead remained in double-digits until just 6:30 was left in the game as a basket by senior Kaleigh Charette cut the gap to 45-36.  The Lancers got as close at six, 54-48, with 2:00 left but the Amcats made seven free throws in the closing moments while Worcester hit just one three-pointer and missing five others from long range.  The Lancers made just two of 18 attempts from three-point range in the second half.  

Senior Sam Ashton led Anna Maria with 14 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double while also dishing out five assists.  Hevy added 10 points and junior Chelsea Blair had nine points and a team-best 14 rebounds.  

For the Lancers, junior Kara Rogers had 13 points and senior Molly Hein chipped in with 10.  Taking game-high honors on the boards with 16 was Charette to go along with seven points.  Worcester St. was held to 24.3 percent shooting on the night while Anna Maria hit 40 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point land (8-for-16).  Anna Maria was just 4-for-22 from behind the arc.

 With the win Anna Maria improves to 3-2. Anna Maria's last win against Worcester State was during the 1998-99 season a 60-59 victory. Snaps a three-game skid as the AMCATS lost in 2003-04 (71-52), 2002-03 (76-51) and 1999-00 (65-57). The Blue and Gold led the all-time series entering the contest 21-5

Worcester St. and UMPI meet in the consolation game Saturday at 1 p.m. followed by the championship game between Wesleyan and Anna Maria at 3 p.m.

Release courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics

Photo courtesy of Dave Sheridan