WESTFIELD, MA – The Westfield State men's basketball team prepares for the Division III NCAA Tournament, where they will face #19-ranked Middlebury College in the opening round at SUNY-Brockport on Friday, March 6 at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $12 for adults, $7 for students/senior citizens, and children under two are free. Live webstream video and live stats will be available at WestfieldStateOwls.com. The digital game program is available at https://www.ncaa.com/DIIIMensBasketball
Westfield (20-7) defeated the Worcester State Lancers 81-77 on Saturday February 29, to win the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletics Conference Championship and received an automatic bid for the Division III NCAA Tournament.
Middlebury (20-5) earned an at-large bid to the tournament. The Panthers started the year 13-0, but come into the tournament on a two game losing streak, having dropped the final game of the regular season, then falling to Trinity College in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament.
Westfield State returns to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth time in school history. The Owls' latest appearance in 2015 was a 75-62 loss to Babson College in the opening round.
The Panthers are 13-9 in NCAA tournament action (16 trips), highlighted by a run to the 2011 NCAA Semifinals, and a trip to the 2013 quarterfinals.
Middlebury leads the NESCAC in field goal percentage (.475) and fewest turnovers per game (11.4), while ranking second with 83.6 points/contest.
Middlebury is led in scoring by Jack Farrell, a recent Second-Team All-NESCAC selection. The junior paces the team and ranks fourth in the NESCAC with 16.9 ppg. He tops the squad in steals (1.9 spg/2nd in NESCAC), ranks second in assists (3.4 apg) and field goal percentage (.484).
Max Bosco is second on the Panthers with 14.8 ppg and 40 three-point field goals made. He leads the team, and ranks third in the NESCAC with a .871 free throw percentage and averages 1.7 apg.
Westfield State will be led by a veteran senior class, which includes first-team All-Conference selections Vawn Lord and Jauch Green, Jr.
Lord leads the Owls with 19.7 points per game, and grabs nearly seven rebounds per game. The versatile Green gets 18.4 points per game and leads the team with 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Grad student Marcus Collins adds 10 points and nearly seven rebounds per game.
As a team, the Owls rank first in the nation in free throw attempts (776), and rebounds (1269) and rank third in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.7).
This is only the second-ever meeting between the two New England colleges, as the Panthers defeated the Owls, 79-78, in the Williams College tournament in 1991.
Westfield and Middlebury share mutual opponents in Bridgewater State, Springfield College, and Amherst College. The Owls hold a 3-1 record over the trio this season, while Middlebury finished 2-1 against that group.
If Westfield moves past Middlebury, the Owls would advance to face the winner of Coast Guard Academy and #24 SUNY-Brockport at 6:30 on Saturday evening. That would be the first-ever meeting for the Owls against either team.
-- written by Jacob Solomons, Sports information intern