BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Senior guard Dave Jaehnig (Quincy, MA) scored a game-high 25 points to lead the visiting Owls of Westfield State College to a 72-65 victory over host Bridgewater State in a Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball game this afternoon in Bridgewater.
Jaehnig connected on 9 of 13 field goal attempts while also adding five rebounds, four assists and six steals as the Owls improved to 8-5 overall and 1-0 in the MASCAC. Bridgewater, which has lost four of its' last five games, dips to 6-5 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.
Senior center Roland Millien (Stoughton, MA) paced the Bears with 14 points and 11 rebounds as he posted his sixth double-double of the season.
BSC jumped out in front 10-2, but saw that lead quickly disappear as the Owls responded with a 12-3 run to move ahead, 14-13, midway through the first half. With the scored tied at 18-18, Westfield put together a 13-2 run late in the opening stanza and the Owls took a 35-25 lead into the intermission.
Westfield had its' largest lead of the game at 45-30 with 15:45 remaining in the second half. The Bears battled back with an 11-0 run over the next 3 ½ minutes to cut the deficit to four points (45-41) with 12:28 left to play. Out of a timeout, the Owls responded with a 9-2 run, highlighted by three field goals from junior forward Joe Dicruttalo (Franklin, MA) and a three-pointer by Jaehnig, to retake control of the game.
Dicruttalo finished with 10 points and four rebounds while senior forward Johnny Dunbar (Roxbury, MA) added 11 points and seven boards. Junior forward Drew Pereira (Seekonk, MA) also placed in double figures as he scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Senior guard Chris Kinback (Shrewsbury, MA) led all players with six assists
For the Bears, sophomore guard Judah Jackson (Everett, MA) scored 11 points while sophomore forward Nicholas Motta (Fairhaven, MA) added 10. In his debut for the Bears, senior forward Stace Garrick (West Warwick, RI) came off the bench to score nine points on 3-for-4 shooting in 12 minutes of play while also grabbing four rebounds.
Westfield shot 55% (28-for-51) for the game despite connecting on just 2 of 10 three-point attempts. The Owls, who were also just 14 of 25 from the free throw line, out-rebounded the Bears by a margin of 35-26 and attempted 17 more free throws. After shooting 37% (10-for-27) in the first half, Bridgewater finished 15-for-30 (50%) in the final stanza.
The MASCAC schedule resumes for both teams next week. Bridgewater travels to Framingham State College on Tuesday night to take on the Rams at 7:30 PM. Westfield hosts Worcester State also at 7:30.