MBB: Panthers come from behind, hold off Worcester State

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball defeated the Worcester State University Lancers in a non-conference game, 72-63, on John P. Brissette Court Tuesday night.

After a slow start, the Panthers found themselves down 15 points in the middle of the first half.  Plymouth State clawed back, though, taking the lead early in the second half and the Panthers would not look back on the way to their second win in as many games.

Senior Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) led all scorers with 22 points and grabbed six rebounds, while sophomore Torran Bosworth (Springfield, Mass.) added 18 points of his own. Graduate student Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored 15 points and brought down seven boards in the winning effort.

Six-foot-one freshman Tyler Clark-Toy (Concord, N.H) recorded a team high 11 rebounds to help secure the victory for the Panthers.

Plymouth State improves to 2-0 on the season, while the Lancers fall to 1-2.

The Basics:

• Plymouth State 72, Worcester State 63
  • Plymouth State (2-0)
  • Worcester State (1-2)

Top Performers:

• Kyler Bosse (22 pts, 10-24 fg, 2-3 3pt, 6 reb)
• Torren Bosworth (18 pts, 7-13 fg, 3-6 3pt, 4 reb, 6 ast)
• Giorgi Tsiklauri (15 pts, 6-14 fg, 3-8 3pt, 7 reb)
• Elijah Swanson (9 pts, 8 reb)
• Tyler Clark-Toy (4 pts, 11 reb)

How it Happened:

• The Panthers took an early 7-2 advantage in the opening minutes of the first half.
• Behind a 14-2 run, the Lancers went out in front 16-9 with 15:02 to go until halftime.
• Worcester State extended the lead to fifteen points (32-17) midway through the first.
• Plymouth State turned up the heat, cutting the deficit to a single point (41-40) with just over a minute to play until the half.
• The Lancers held onto the narrow margin, 43-42, heading into the locker room.
• Plymouth State regained the lead, 45-43, with the first bucket of the second half, its first time ahead since the opening minutes of play.
• The game was knotted at 49-49 at the 17:00 mark, the first time since the 17:00 minute mark of the first half (7-7).
• Plymouth State tried to pull away, finding the team up six points, 57-51, halfway through the second.
• The teams traded buckets as time started to wind down, as the Panthers clung to the six-point advantage, 69-63, with 3:28 remaining in the contest.
• Worcester State was forced to play the foul game in the closing minutes as the Panthers knocked down 3-of-4 free throws to seal the win.

By the Numbers:

• PSU shot 29-of-70 (41.4%) from the floor, and 10-of-21 (47.6%) from three.
• The Panthers outrebounded Worcester State overall, 54-40, and 15-14 on the offensive glass.
• WSU's bench outscored the Panthers' reserves, 11-8.
• Plymouth State scored 13 points off turnovers, to the Lancers eight.
• The Panthers held the edge in the paint, outscoring Worcester State by a 22-14 margin.
• Plymouth State recorded 15 assists on its 29 field goals.
• It was the first time the teams have met since the 2001-02 season, which showed an almost identical scoreline (73-63).  PSU is now 2-0 in the head-to-head matchup.

Up Next:

• The Panthers travel to Henniker, N.H. to face the Pilgrims of New England College on Thursday (Nov. 16) evening. First tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Bridges Gym.

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