WESTFIELD, Mass. – Worcester State grad student forward Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass./Wachusett) scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Lancers to an 80-52 win over Westfield State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game at the Woodward Center on Wednesday night.
Worcester State leads the MASCAC with a 17-5 overall record and a 9-0 mark in conference play, while Westfield is now 7-15, 6-4 MASCAC.
Baskets were tough to come by in the early going for both teams, as Worcester got out to a 6-0 lead 3:45 into the game, before Westfield got on the board with a pair of free throws from JT Thompson (Columbia, S.C.) at the 15:25 mark. The Lancers led 12-4 after Sam Dion's (Barre, Mass./Wachusett) three pointer with 12:55 left in the half.
The Lancers were able to keep Westfield at arm's length through the first half. Westfield's Brendan Keaveny's (Quincy, Mass.) lay up off a feed from Brendan Hamilton (Worcester, Mass./Tech) got the lead down to just three points, at 16-13 with 7:58 left in the half.
Worcester extended its lead with a 14-6 run over the next four minutes, and the Lancers held a 38-29 lead at the half.
Westfield managed to trim the Lancer lead to as few as eight points, at 42-34 on two more free throws from Thompson with 16:44 left in the game, but would get no closer.
The Lancers paraded to the foul line 23 times in the second half, cashing in on 21 of those opportunities. Worcester finished the day 25 of 28 from the free throw line, while shooting 33 percent (24-72) from the floor.
Westfield was 32.8 percent from the floor and 16-22 (72.7 pct) from the foul line. Worcester grabbed 24 offensive rebounds while out rebounding the Owls 55-40 in the game.
Westfield was led by 13 points each from Thompson and Keaveny. Brendon Hamilton finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots. Gerry McManus (Hudson, Mass.) dished out a game-high six assists for the Owls.
Hamilton now has 764 rebounds in his three-year career, good for sixth all time at Westfield and just four behind Grant Cooper '15 for the fifth place spot. Hamilton moved in to third place on the Owls' career blocked shots list with 126, passing Robert Westbrook '90 (124) tonight.
Worcester got 14 points and four steals from Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, Mass./South), and 12 points and four assists from Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, N.C.). Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) added eight points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.
At halftime, the Owls recognized high-achieving student athletes as part of the Athletic Director's 3.0 Reception, with 269 student-athletes honored for reaching a 3.0 or higher cumulative grade-point average. The athletes were recognized on court by Westfield State Athletic Director Richard Lenfest, Jr., and Westfield State University President Dr. Linda Thompson. Honorees received a commemorative t-shirt and enjoyed a pizza and dessert reception on court 3 as the basketball game continued.
Westfield State will be back in action on Saturday, hosting Bridgewater State as part of a men's and women's doubleheader. The games are designated as part of a Black History Month Celebration, with current Owls' student-athletes recognized at halftime of the men's game, which tips off at 12:00 noon. Friends and teammates are encouraged to come out to recognize and support their peers in the black community. The women's game vs. Bridgewater will follow at 2:00 p.m. with senior day recognition preceding tip off.
Worcester State will next play on Saturday as the Lancers host Fitchburg State with a 12:00 noon tip.