WESTFIELD, Mass. – Jauch Green, Jr. (Cromwell HS/Hartford, Conn.) scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Westfield State to an 83-68 win over Western New England University in a non-conference men's basketball game at the Woodward Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Owls (5-4) got a balanced scoring attack with four players finishing in double figures, as Peter Mafo (Lynn Classical/Lynn, Mass. and Marcus Collins (Rindge and Latin/Cambridge, Mass.) each added 14 points, and Christopher Prophet (Central/Springfield, Mass.) added 11.
Green added six assists, three steals and two blocks in a solid all-around performance.
Leading 28-26 with 4:49 to play in the first half, Westfield outscored the golden bears 13-4 over the final stretch to expand the lead. Victor Aytche, Jr. (East Hartford HS/Springfield, Mass.) sparked the run for the Owls with seven points on a thre- pointer, a layup and a jump shot in the key stretch.
The Golden Bears were never able to get the lead under seven points in the second half as Westfield held them at arm's length throughout the half.
Zachary Tavitian (Foran/Milford, Conn.) and Antonio Brancato (Wilton/Fairfield, Conn.) led Western New England (2-7) with 17 points each. Tavitian connected on five of eight shots from three-point range, while Brancato cashed in with 8-10 shooting at the foul line. Mikey Pettway (Fairfield Prep/Bridgeport, Conn.) scored 16 and dished out four assists.
Westfield State shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the game connecting on 32 of 56 shots. WNE finished 23-63 (36.5).
Westfield will be back in action on Tuesday with a game at Pine Manor College.
Western New England will be idle until December 30 when they play Southern Maine in the Trinity College holiday invitational in Hartford.