WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State University men's basketball picked up several significant honors, as senior guard Vawn Lord (West Springfield, Mass./Amherst HS) was named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference player of the week as sponsored by Geico, and the Owls' team and coach Rich Sutter were recognized as the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III Team of the Week, after the Owls knocked off #3-ranked Amherst, 68-67 on Tuesday, November 26.
Lord helped lead the upset effort with 23 points, nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. He connected on 8-17 shots from the floor, and 6-of-9 from the foul line as the Owls rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit.
The Owls were recognized as the NABC's team of the week for their upset effort, which also yielded coach Sutter's 300th career win. The Owls were recognized alongside Division I Stephen F. Austin University, which upset #1 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Westfield (4-3) will be back in action on Thursday, hosting local rival Elms College at 7:00 p.m. at the Woodward Center.