WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State University's men's and women's basketball teams host their first Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader of the season on Saturday, as the Owls play host to Framingham State. The men's game tips off at high noon, with the women's game following with a 2 p.m. tip.
On the men's side, the Owls come in looking for a win after dropping six straight games. Westfield fell at MCLA on Wednesday night, 82-76 in a tightly contested affair. The Owls are 1-11 overall and 0-1 in the league, having played one of the toughest schedules in the nation so far, which included three foes currently ranked in the top 10 in the country.
Senior swingman JT Thompson leads the Owls in scoring at 14.9 points per game, and has been Westfield's top three-point threat with 19 triples so far this season.
Kumar Brown has been the Owls primary post threat with 10.4 points per game. Brendon Hamilton adds 9.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per night.
Framingham State comes to town with a 4-10 overall mark and a 1-0 record in league play, coming off a 5-point win over Bridgewater State in their conference opener.
The Rams were bolstered in their opener by the addition of graduate transfer Juran Ligonde, a transfer from DII Goldey-Beacom College. He netted 18 points and 10 rebounds in his first MASCAC action.
Joshua-Daniel Okafor has been averaging 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and guard Jahden Erold adds 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
The women's game features a pair of perennial rivals for the league title. Westfield won four straight titles from 2016-19, beating the Rams on three of those occasions, but Framingham has had Westfield's number of late and claimed the 2020 and 2022 conference crowns.
Westfield is 8-6 and 1-0 in league play after cruising to an 83-49 win over MCLA on Wednesday evening.
Junior guard Olivia Hadla and junior forward Jordan Grant share the team lead at 17.5 points per game, with Jess Gardner adding 8.7 and Maddie Pond 7.2 points per outing respectively.
The Rams were picked to win the league in the preseason poll (with westfield slotted third) but Framingham slipped a game back in the conference race early, falling to Bridgewater State in the league opener on Wednesday night.
Framingham 8-3 overall and 0-1 in the MASCAC. 5-11 Rams' forward Flannery O'Connor leads the league in scoring at 19.8 points per game, while 5-11 post Katty Haidul adds 16 points and leads the conference at 11.2 points per game.
The game can be expected to be a contrast of styles, between the size of the Framingham frontcourt, and the Owls pressing, up-tempo attack.
Both games will have live video stream coverage and live stats at WestfieldStateOwls.com