BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Westfield State junior forward Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) posted a double-double to guide the Owls to an 89-74 victory over Bridgewater State from the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater, Mass.
The Owls improve to 19-4 on the season and 9-2 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), while the Bears fall to 4-15 overall and 2-6 in conference play. Westfield swept the season series as the Owls posted a 97-57 win over the Bears back on January 19th at Westfield.
Hamilton led all players in scoring with a game-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds to lead the way for the Owls. Hamilton connected on seven of nine field goal attempts and went 8-for-11 at the free throw line. He also added three assists, a steal and a pair of blocked shots.
Junior center Joseph Meade (Westfield, Mass.) checked in with 14 points and eight rebounds for Westfield State, while junior forward JT Thompson (Columbia, S.C.) tallied 12 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Senior guard Justin Rennis (Springfield, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block, and sophomore forward Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) notched ten points, three rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block. Sophomore guard Gerry McManus (Hudson, Mass.) dished out a game-best eight assists, pulled down four rebounds, and recorded three steals.
Graduate forward Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.) paced Bridgewater State with 16 points on six of eight shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.) scored 17 points in 15 minutes off the bench, while senior guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) added 11 points and two assists. Pettway went 3-for-4 from behind the arc.
Westfield led 43-39 after a tightly contested first half as the two teams exchanged 10-2 runs to open the contest. The game turned over the first three and a half minutes of the second half as the Owls held the Bears to just two points over that span and opened up a 13-point lead (54-41) following a dunk by Teng. Bridgewater would get no close than nine points the rest of the way. Westfield got up by as many as 21 points (87-66) and coasted to the 89-74 victory.
The Owls shot 48% (37-77) for the game but went just 5-for-19 (26%) from three-point range and 10-for-20 (50%) at the free throw line. The Westfield defensive effort resulted in 21 BSU turnovers, and the Owls held the Bears to 39% (27-70) shooting.
Westfield finished with a 50-30 advantage in points in the paint as well as a 17-9 edge in second chance points.
Westfield State will have the week off before returning to the court on Saturday, February 19 as the Owls host Fitchburg State for a 2:00 P.M. tip-off at the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass. An Owls victory over Fitchburg would secure the top overall seed in the MASCAC tournament, while obtaining at least a share of the MASCAC regular season title. Bridgewater State will entertain the Lancers of Worcester State University on Monday night at 7:30 P.M.
-- Release courtesy of Bridgewater State sports info