NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA-Without starting center Dan Holbrook (Sr. Lexington, MA/Lexington HS/Westfield State), the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men’s basketball team had to rely on their quickness instead of their size in their non-conference match up with Worcester State in the second game of a doubleheader at the Tripp Athletic Center Tuesday evening.

The Corsairs had no problem doing just that.

With Holbrook out with an injury, UMass Dartmouth relied on their speed and quickness, using 18 steals to force 32 turnovers. The Corsairs also made 59.4 per cent of their shots from the field in the second half and went on to defeat the Lancers, 90-64.

UMass Dartmouth broke a 20-20 tie in the first half with seven consecutive points, scoring on jump shots by senior forwards Stephane Abelard (Brockton, MA/Brockton HS/Massasoit CC) and Paul Pawlowski (Taunton, MA/Taunton HS) and a three-pointer by junior forward Cory Tynes (Springfield, MA/Commerce HS). The Corsairs led by 10 points at halftime, 39-29, then steadily built their lead after the intermission,

“We played tough defense, and we used our defense to create offense, which is what we need to do,” said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Brian Baptiste. “We were trying to put together a lineup to play without Danny, and we put forth a pretty good effort. Everyone played an integral role.”

Tynes and Pawlowski led UMass Dartmouth with 17 points each, Abelard added 13, and sophomore guard Reece Freeman (Cambridge, MA/Rindge & Latin HS) and freshman forward Matt Walker (Brockton, MA/Brockton HS) had 10 points apiece. Winfred Rembert of the Lancers led all scorers with 20 points, and Ryan Frassica added 16.

Freeman had 10 assists, and Tynes grabbed eight rebounds. Rembert had nine rebounds as Worcester State out rebounded UMD, 42-34. Holbrook missed the game due to an injury.

The Corsairs improved to 3-0 with the victory, while Worcester State fell to 1-2 with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they visit Bridgewater State next Tuesday evening, while the Lancers will visit Clark next Tuesday night.