WESTFIELD, Mass. – Worcester State University's senior Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) picked up a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, along with four blocks in the Lancers' 80-60 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) regular season finale loss to Westfield State on Saturday.
Alongside Brooks, was senior Jeremy Bacon (Milford, Mass.) who added 13 points on 6-8 shooting from the floor with seven rebounds. Senior Aaron Anniballi (Milford, Mass.) chipped in nine points, and Ryan DiBernardo (Springfield, Mass.) added in seven.
Westfield State's Jesus Sanchez (17 points) and Jose Allen (16 points) led the way for Westfield State on their senior day, while Shane Pasquantonio (Ashland, Mass.) added 11 points and six rebounds for the Owls. Classmate Aaron Burke (Worcester, Mass.) added 10 points and six rebounds.
The seniors helped the Owls come out of the game fast, running out to a 18-6 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Westfield led 44-29 at the half after connecting on 53 percent of their field goals, and 7-10 from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
Worcester State chipped the Owls lead down to as few as eight points, 51-43 on a layup by Bacon with 15:32 to play, but that was as close as the Lancers would get. Westfield responded with a 5-0 run on a three-point play by Marcus Collins (Cambridge, Mass.) and a Sanchez layup that boosted the lead back to a comfortable 13 points, which the Owls would extend in the late stages of the half.
With the win, Westfield State concludes the regular season at 10-14 overall and 6-6 in the MASCAC. The Lancers finish at 8-17 and 6-6 in the conference.
Both teams advance to the MASCAC tournament at 6-6. The No. 4 seeded Owls and the No. 5 seeded Lancers will see each other again on Tuesday evening for a 7 p.m. MASCAC quarterfinal matchup, hosted by Westfield.
Release Courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information