"It's winning time" is a phrase popularized by Magic Johnson and the early 80s Los Angeles Lakers, but for Westfield State men's basketball, it has been true for the last month. The Owls will look to keep that momentum rolling into the 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament as the Owls host MCLA in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Woodward Center. The Owls have won seven of eight games as they start postseason play.
How They Got Here: Westfield (10-15, 8-4 MASCAC) played a brutal early season schedule that included three teams that have ranked in the top 10 in the nation. The Owls got off to a 1-10 start before getting to conference play, but the rigors of the early season and the level of competition prepped the Owls well. Westfield finished 8-4 in the MASCAC regular season schedule, and finished tied for second in the league with Bridgewater State, but Westfield ended up as the #3 seed in the tournament (and missed getting a first-round bye) by virtue of the league's tiebreakers.
Westfield lost the tiebreaker based on an 82-76 loss at MCLA back on January 4, the first-league game of the season.
MCLA is 7-15 overall and was 3-9 in conference play to earn the #6 seed. The Blazers have struggled down the stretch, losing five straight as they enter the playoffs.
WHO TO WATCH: Westfield has a veteran lineup, as senior guard JT Thompson (Columbia, S.C.) is the league's third leading scorer at 16.0 points per game, and his 52 three-pointers this season rank second in the MASCAC while connecting at a 36.4 percent clip. Senior forward Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass./Tech) has rallied from a slow start to the season while battling nagging injuries, to rattle off double-figure scoring in 13 of the last 15 games. He averages 13 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Senior wing Brendan Keaveny (Quincy, Mass.) has flourished late in the year, where he is averaging 16.4 points per game over the last five games, while shooting 47 percent (17-36) from behind the arc. The other key for the Owls will be point guard play, where a two-headed attack of Gerry McManus (Hudson, Mass.) and DaeJon Pendleton (Haverhill, Mass.) have split time.
MCLA boasts the leading scorer in the conference in fifth-year grad-student guard Noah Yearsley (Averill Park, N.Y.), who averages 20.5 points per game and has connected for 47 three-pointers this year. He exploded for 39 points in the season finale against Bridgewater State, connecting on 15 of 29 shots and 8 of 18 from downtown. Second-leading scorer Dylan Morris-Gray (Port Jefferson, N.Y.), who averages 12 points and 2.2 assists per game has missed the Blazers last 11 games due to injury heading into the playoffs. A return would significantly bolster the lineup. Juniors Mamadou Diallo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Korey Greenland (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) lend scoring support at 7.8 points per game each. The Trailblazers also get after it in the rebounding game where they grab 42 boards per game as a team.
WHITE OUT DOUBLEHEADER: Westfield State fans are asked to pack the Woodward Center and wear white-colored clothing to "White Out" the Woodward Center. The white out is to both show school spirit and support "Morgan's Message" a non-profit group which advocates for student athlete mental health. The Westfield State chapter will have information on Morgan's Message and mental health resources at the game. The Westfield State women also face MCLA in a first-round tournament game that immediately follows the men's game.
THE SERIES: The two teams split the season series, with Owls tripping the Trailblazers 69-60 in the Woodward Center on January 28. In that game, Westfield got 20 points each from Thompson and Hamilton. The game was tight throughout, and MCLA trailed just 61-59 after Korey Greenland's three pointer with 4:25 left in regulation.
The Owls finally got some breathing room with back to back buckets, as Kobe Parker (Chicopee, Mass.) hammered a pass inside to Kumar Brown (Enfield, Conn.) for a turnaround in the paint, then McManus scored on a drive to give the Owls a 64-59 lead with 2:05 left in the game. Westfield got stops on the defensive end, as the Blazers missed their final seven shots from the floor over the final four minutes of the game.
In the first meeting MCLA guard Morris-Gray scored 18 points to lead the Trailblazers in the Conference opener for both teams at the Amsler Gym in North Adams, Mass.
Westfield trailed by three at the half, but grabbed a 69-66 lead when Brown tipped in his own miss with 4:51 left, but Morris-Gray drilled a long three pointer to give the Blazers the lead back for good at 75-72 with 2:30 to play. Morris-Gray all but iced it with a pair of free throws with 18.5 seconds left to boost the Blazer lead to 82-76. Yearley finished with 16 for the Blazers, with Amon Moore (Davenport, Fla.) adding 15 and Diallo 10.
Westfield was led by 20 points from Brown, and Hamilton added 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Owls were able to consistently work the ball inside.
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of this game earns a trip to #2 Bridgewater State on Tuesday evening for a semifinal round game. The championship game will be played on Saturday at the site of the highest seed remaining in the tournament, where Worcester State looms as the #1 seed.
LIVE COVERAGE: Live video stream coverage of the game is available at www.WestfieldStateOwls.com, and on the MASCAC.tv app and channel on Roku, Apple and Amazon streaming devices. WSU students Zach Bianco and Nick Malouin have the call of the game. Live stats can be found at WestfieldStateOwls.com as well.