Rogers, Jr. Scores 25, Owls Fend Off Bears 84-80

WESTFIELD, Mass. – First-year forward Kenneth Rogers, Jr. (Springfield, Mass.) scored a game-high 25 points as Westfield State took a giant step forward towards clinching the top overall seed in the conference tournament after an 84-80 road victory at Bridgewater State on Wednesday night from the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater, Mass.

The Owls improve to 19-5 overall and 9-2 in conference play. Westfield regained sole possession of first place in the conference standings after Worcester State dropped a 79-74 decision against Framingham State. Westfield also clinched a first-round bye in the conference tournament as they can fall no lower than the second seed in the upcoming tournament. The Bears drop to 10-15 on the season and 5-7 in the MASCAC.

Westfield took an eight-point lead into the second half with the Bears quickly erasing the Owls lead after a Noah Downing (Brockton, Mass.) three-pointer tied the game at 50 apiece with 16:07 left.

Both teams then went on a scoring spree over the next five minutes as nine of the next ten possessions ended in makes as the Owls inched ahead by two points.

At the exact midway point of the half, Rogers, Jr. made a layup, then Lid Moreland (Bridgeport, Conn.) stuck a triple to put the Owls up six (69-63) with 9:16 left. Westfield continued to extend the lead as Moreland banked home a layup out of a timeout followed by a steal and bucket from A.Z. Allah (Springfield, Mass.) to drive the lead into double figures. Kobe Parker (Chicopee, Mass.) capped what was an 11-0 run with a jumper, making it a 75-63 lead with 7:14 remaining.

The Bears would not go away, using the three-point ball to get back into the game. Trailing by ten with under six to go, TJ Williams (Jupiter, Fla.) and Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.) converted back-to-back threes to close the gap to four points with 4:25 to play.

Later in the game, Allah buried a crucial wing triple to increase the Owls lead to six points with just over two minutes to play. Four straight free throws from the Bears made it a two-point Owls lead with 1:03 left. On the next possession, the Owls missed a three but Eric Johnson (Houston, Texas) corralled the loose ball and was fouled where he would make the front end of a one-and-one trip, giving Westfield a three-point lead with 26 seconds left.

A costly Bears turnover gave the Owls the ball back where Johnson calmly nailed a free throw to send the contest to a two possession game and an eventual Owls victory.  

The Owls weathered an early three-point barrage from the Bears in the first four minutes of the game where Bridgewater opened up a seven-point lead after three triples on three consecutive possessions with the final one from Campbell giving them a 13-6 lead.

A step back corner three followed by a jumper from Campbell pushed the Bears lead up to eight points, their largest of the first half. Westfield responded with seven unanswered points to narrow the deficit to just one point after a paint jumper from Moreland trimmed the deficit to 20-19 with 10:29 left in the half.

With 5:32 remaining in the opening stanza, Timmy Jacobus (Willemstad, Curacao) buried the Owls first three-pointer of the night to tie the game at 28. The Owls then advanced ahead in part to a strong defensive effort, holding Bridgewater scoreless for over five minutes, allowing Westfield to stretch an 11-0 run into a 34-28 advantage.

The Bears brought the game back to within three points with 1:11 left but five quick points off a Xavier Lewis (Long Island, N.Y.) three-pointer and hook shot from Johnson sent the Owls into the break with a 42-34 halftime lead.

Despite Bridgewater holding a plus-12 edge from beyond the arc in the first half, the Owls were able to run up an eight point lead thanks to a 51.9 shooting percentage inside the arc while also making 8 of 11 free throws while the Bears did not attempt a free throw.

Rogers, Jr. supplied nine assists and six rebounds to go along with his game-leading 25 points. Moreland tallied 16 points and secured eight rebounds. Johnson (13 points) and Parker (11 points) reached double figure scoring.

Campbell led the Bears with 19 points followed by Williams with 15 points. Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) registered a double-double with 12 points and ten assists.

Westfield State will have a chance to clinch an outright MASCAC regular season title and the number one overall seed in the conference tournament on Saturday as the Owls host Salem State for senior day at noon.