WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior forward Brendon Hamilton had a monster game with 28 points, 18 rebounds and grabbed the 1000th rebound of his career as the Owls posted a 92-79 win over Fitchburg State in a MASCAC men's basketball game at the Woodward Center on Saturday afternoon.
Westfield State improves to 12-5 overall, 3-1 in the MASCAC, while Fitchburg is now 2-14 and 0-3 in the conference.
Hamilton became the second Owls' men's basketball player to reach the 1000-rebound milestone, and also the second to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to be his coach," said Westfield State head coach Rich Sutter. "His new nick name is 'El Grande' – he's got 1,000 on each side."
The 6-6 forward from Worcester now has 1,155 points and 1,004 rebounds in his stellar four-year career, joining only Owls' and MASCAC Hall of Famer Russ Thompson '87 in the 1000-1000 club.
"I know Russ very well, and Brendon has entered rarified air to be just the second to enter that territory."
Hamilton sits 18th on the Owls career scoring list, with Thompson's 1,169 career points his next target. Hamilton is second on Westfield's career rebounding list, 190 boards behind Thompson's four-year total.
Westfield ran out to a 29-8 lead in the first 13 minutes of the game. The Owls started with a pair of buckets inside from Andre Hairston and Hamilton, and Doug Alves capped the run with back-to-back three pointers, prompting a pair of timeouts from Fitchburg.
Westfield led 44-27 at the half.
The Owls pushed the up to 21 points on an Alves jumper 2:10 into the second half, and the lead hovered in the 20-point range until the five and a half minute mark when a three from Timmy Jacobus and a bucket from Hairston boosted the lead to 87-61 with 5:29 left in the game.
Hamilton finished 11-14 from the floor, and 6 of 8 from the foul line in a dominating performance that also included six blocked shots.
"I think it was his best collegiate performance," said Owls head coach Rich Sutter. "He was everywhere. I don't know what else we could have asked him to do."
Alves added 12 points and five assists, Jerome Stephens had 11 points and five steals, and Hairston finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Owls outrebounded the Falcons, 49-30.
Fitchburg had five players in double figures, led by 18 points from Frederick Siayor. Jovon Taylor had 14 points and five rebounds, and Braeden White added 13 points five rebounds and three assists.
Westfield will be back in action next Saturday, with a 2:00 p.m. tip off at Bridgewater State. Fitchburg will get a crack at Bridgewater with a 7:00 p.m. tip in Fitchburg on Wednesday.