BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Westfield State University men's basketball team posted an 89-74 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Bridgewater State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.
The Owls improve to 19-4 on the season and 9-2 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 4-15 overall and 2-6 in conference play. Westfield swept the season series as the Owls posted a 97-57 win over the Bears back on January 19th at Westfield.
Junior forward Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) recorded a double-double with a game-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds to lead the way for the Owls. Hamilton connected on 7 of 9 field goal attempts and went 8-for-11 at the free throw line. He also added three assists, a steal and a pair of blocked shots.
Junior center Joseph Meade (Westfield, Mass.) checked in with 14 points and eight rebounds for Westfield State, while junior forward JT Thompson (Columbia, S.C.) tallied 12 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Senior guard Justin Rennis (Springfield, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with11 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and block, and sophomore forward Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) notched ten points, three rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block. Sophomore guard Gerry McManus (Hudson, Mass.) dished out a game-best eight assists, pulled down four rebounds and recorded three steals.
Graduate forward Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.) paced Bridgewater State with 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.) scored 17 points in 15 minutes off the bench, while senior guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) added 11 points and two assists. Pettway went 3-for-4 from behind the arc. Junior forward Stanley Pierre-Louis (Roxbury, Mass.) pulled down a game and career-high 14 rebounds with seven coming off the offensive glass and finished with eight points
Westfield led 43-39 after a tightly contested first half as the two teams exchanged 10-2 runs to open the contest. The game turned over the first 3 ½ minutes of the second half as the Owls held the Bears to just two points over that span and opened up a 13-point lead (54-41) following a dunk by Teng. Bridgewater would get no close than nine points the rest of the way. Westfield got up by as many as 21 points in the second half (87-66) and coasted to the 89-74 victory.
The Owls shot 48% (37-77) for the game but went just 5-for-19 (26%) from three-point range and 10-for-20 (50%) at the free throw line. The Westfield defensive effort resulted in 21 BSU turnovers, and the Owls held the Bears to 39% (27-70) shooting on the afternoon.
Westfield finished with a 50-30 advantage in points in the paint as well as a 17-9 edge in second chance points.
In upcoming MASCAC action, the Bears entertain the Lancers of Worcester State University on Monday night at 7:30. The Owls are off until next Saturday afternoon when they host the Falcons of Fitchburg State University at two o'clock.