WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Justin Rennis (Springfield, Mass.) scored a team-high 22 points as the Owls defeated Salem State, 89-74, in an impactful MASCAC conference game on a Saturday afternoon at the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.
The victory moves Westfield to 17-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play while also giving the Owls a share of first place with the Vikings atop the MASCAC standings. Salem drops to 11-9 overall and 7-2 in MASCAC play.
Senior Joseph Meade (Westfield, Mass.) had a stellar performance for the Owls, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, on 7-10 shooting from the field, while junior Jeremy Remigio (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) finished with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. Junior Brendon Hamilton added eight points and 12 rebounds, and sophomore Gerry McManus was the primary facilitator for the Owls, dishing out a team-high seven assists.
Westfield State did not trail throughout the entire contest. The Owls found momentum early in the first half causing a ten second violation on the Vikings not even a minute into the game after a bucket from Meade. With 18:20 still left in the first half, Meade came down the lane for a show-time, one-handed put-back dunk that sparked a run for Westfield. Rennis began the game scortching hot by connecting on his first three shot attempts. Meade only missed one of his 6 shot attempts in the first half as well. Late in the first half, Remigio came down the lane for a strong finish at the rim with 1:27 left in the first, to give Westfield a 15-point lead going into halftime.
In the second half, after a strong start by the Owls that saw the lead swell up to 22 points, the Vikings found a scoring burst of their own as back-to-back triples by Javier Osorio (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Chris MacDonald (Wakefield, Mass.) capped an 11-0 run to trim the deficit to eleven. However, Westfield State was able to hold off the second half run as the Owls maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game to close out the victory.
Vikings guard Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) was a key contributor to the Vikings comeback attempt as he caught fire in the second half, scoring 18 of his 22 points while dishing out nine assists and six rebounds in the frame alone. The MASCAC's leading scorer was ultra-efficient as well, connecting on five of seven shots from the field and burying two deep triples in the closing stages of the game. He finished the game with 22 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds.
Connor Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) added a double-double of his own with 15 points and ten rebounds, while MacDonald was the third Viking in double figures, scoring 16 points.
Westfield State was more efficient from the field (47.9%) then Salem State (37.3%), but both teams struggled from beyond the arc as they went for a combined 9-40. One of the key differences in the game was the Owls bench depth which outscored the Viking's bench 35-7.
Westfield State has three games remaining on the season starting on Wednesday as the Owls travel to Worcester State for a 7:30 P.M. tip-off. If the Owls are able to win their remaining three games in the regular season, they will earn the number one seed in the MASCAC tournament. Salem State will return to the court on Wednesday as well as they travel to Fitchburg State for a 7:00 P.M. start.
Recap written by Eric Perez - Westfield State Sports Information Intern