WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Justin Rennis (Springfield, Mass.) and sophomore Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) each scored 18 points as the Owls clinched the number one overall seed in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament with a 75-61 victory over Fitchburg State on Saturday afternoon from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.
With the win, the Owls improved to 20-4 on the year and 10-2 in conference play. Westfield State will earn a share of the MASCAC regular season title with Salem State, which is the second straight year the Owls have secured a share of first play in the conference regular season. Fitchburg State drops to 6-17 overall and 4-8 in conference action.
The Owls reached the 20-win plateau on senior day as the Owls recognized five seniors: Jordan Wiggins (East Longmeadow, Mass.), Meesha Ohradka (Feeding Hills, Mass.), Kumar Brown (Enfield, Conn.), Joseph Meade (Westfield, Mass.), and Justin Rennis (Springfield, Mass.). The team also celebrated two seniors from the 2020 team, Bahu Abdul-Wadud (Springfield, Mass.) and Malik Pouncey (Mattapan, Mass.) due to the cancellation of the 2020-2021 men's basketball season. Along with the players, senior cheerleaders' Amber Fillion, Emily Delaney, and Victoria Gauthier were also recognized prior to tip-off.
Brown would join Rennis and Teng in double figures on the afternoon, adding 13 points off the bench. Junior Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) scored seven points and ripped down a game-high 17 rebounds. Junior guard Jeremy Remigio (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) led all players with five assists while chipping in eight points off the bench.
The first half was a highly contested, back-and-forth frame up until three minutes remaining in the half, when the Owls went on a late 11-3 run to push the lead from four to 12 points heading into the break (40-28). Rennis set the tone for the Owls, scoring 12 first-half points on an efficient 4-5 shooting while sinking both triples attempted. Fitchburg State forward Dayne Allen (Revere, Mass.) was a force in the paint, grabbing eight rebounds and swatting three shots to keep the Falcons within striking distance.
In the second half, Brown and Rennis threw down a pair of vicious dunks to help the Owls extend the lead to a game-high 21 points at the halfway point. However, the Falcons would make a late run on the back of Trevian Hinson (Tampa, Fla.) as he drilled a three and then added a floater in the lane on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 12 points (69-57) with 4:14 remaining. Hinson would score 21 of his game-high 23 points in the half. However, the Owls defense tightened up, allowing just four points in the final four minutes of action to secure the win.
Tajahn Joyner (Hadley, Mass.) was one of two Falcons players in double figures, compiling 15 points. Allen added six points and a team-high 15 rebounds, and Fitchburg's leading scorer Frederick Siayor (Worcester, Mass.) scored seven points off the bench.
The Owls shot a solid 48.4% (30-62) from the field and connected on six of 15 trifectas (40%). Fitchburg shot 34.2% (25-73) from the floor and struggled from beyond the arc, making two of 15 three-pointers (13.3%). The Falcons had the slight upper hand on the boards (43-41) and the Owls controlled the paint by outscoring their opponent 34-26.
Westfield State will receive a first-round bye for earning the top seed in the conference, and will host a MASCAC semifinals game on Thursday from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass. against the winner of MCLA and Fitchburg State. That game will be played on Tuesday at MCLA.
