WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield men's hoops return to the Woodward Center on Wednesday to take on Mass. College of Liberal Arts in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game at 7:00 P.M.
The Owls come into this one riding high as they boast a 16-4 overall record and a conference-leading 6-1 MASCAC mark, positioning themselves as frontrunners for the regular season championship. MCLA, conversely, is struggling this season with a 4-15 overall record and a 2-5 conference performance.
The Owls are facing MCLA for the second time this season with Westfield defeating the Trailblazers 88-74 on the road led by a 22-point, 18-rebound effort from first-year forward Kenneth Rogers, Jr. (Springfield, Mass.).
Westfield State stands 11th in the nation as a scoring offense in Division III, averaging 88.8 points per game. The Owls have achieved this through consistent free throw shooting, having attempted and made the fifth-most foul shots in the country. Defensively, they shine even brighter—ranking third in Division III for turnover margin, fifth in steals per game, and 24th in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Owls were picked to finish second in the conference preseason coaches' poll but have significantly exceeded those expectations so far this season.
Rogers, Jr. has been a key contributor to Westfield's success this season as he leads the conference with 18.7 points per game, ranks second in rebounds with 8.9 per game, and sits in the top ten for field goal percentage at 45.5 percent. Senior guard Lid Moreland (Bridgeport, Conn.) adds more firepower, averaging 16.3 points per game, ranking him fifth in the conference. Sophomore Angel Price-Espada (Cambridge, Mass.) ties for the MASCAC lead in steals with 2.5 per game while averaging 15.6 points on 45.8 percent shooting.
Senior forward Timmy Jacobus (Willemstad, Curacao) continues to be a three-point threat, shooting 45.1 percent from beyond the arc. In his last four games, Jacobus has been nearly unstoppable, sinking 16 combined three-pointers, including a memorable seven-three performance against Worcester State. Xavier Lewis (Long Island, N.Y.) serves as the Owls' primary playmaker, dishing 3.6 assists per game—the fifth-highest conference average. Lewis also ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio, just behind Jacobus, who leads the conference in that category.
For MCLA, Quentin Gittens (Pittsfield, Mass.) leads the Trailblazers' scoring with 15.0 points per game and in the first meeting of the season versus the Owls, Gittens logged a game-high 30 points. Hayden Morris-Gray (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) contributes 12.7 points and 2.4 assists per game, while JoJo Garcia (Henderson, Nev.) anchors the rebounding effort with 7.4 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the conference.
The Owls look to continue their winning momentum and maintain their path toward a potential conference championship. Follow along at WestfieldStateOwls.com for live scoring and live streams of the games.
- Written by Tom Onorato - Sports Information Intern