Westfield State 69, Worcester State 59
Westfield, MA --- Five players scored in double figures, led by brothers Ryan (16 points) and Brandon Mauer (14 points) of Pittsfield to propel Westfield State to a 69-59 victory over Worcester State in a first round Mass. State Conference (MASCAC) postseason tournament game on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
The No. 3 seed Owls, 18-8 overall, will play a semifinal game at No. 2 seed Fitchburg State on Thursday at 7:00. In the other semifinal, No. 1 seed Salem State hosts No. 5 seed Bridgewater State, which won at Framingham State, 74-65, in Tuesday's other first round game.
Westfield State defeated Worcester State for the third time this season on stellar efforts from 3-point range and the foul line.
It was raining threes for most of the game as both teams shot an identical 8-for-15 from beyond the arc. At the foul line, however, Westfield was 17-for-24, including a 16-for-23 effort in the second half. Worcester finished 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.
In addition, Westfield only attempted 41 field goals but made 22 of them, shooting 54 percent. Worcester shot 36 percent (21-for-58) from the field.
"Worcester will always come here and try to throw the kitchen sink at you, but we practiced for their zone defenses and anticipated them," said Westfield State head coach Rich Sutter.
Westfield also received outstanding play from its bench as two other reserves scored in double figures along with Brandon Mauer. Sophomore forward Joe Dicruttalo (Franklin) scored 13 points and athletic freshman guard Vinny Baker (Springfield/Commerce) tallied 10.
Westfield junior guard Dave Jaehnig (Quincy) had 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds despite seeing limited action because of foul trouble.
"We got a great effort from our bench tonight," said Sutter. "Vinny, Joe and Brandon were all ready to go."
"When I got into the game I just let it come to me," said Baker. "If (senior) Ryan Mauer loses it's his last game and I didn't want that."
The teams traded buckets in the first half, as the score was tied seven times. Westfield took a 28-26 halftime lead on a last-second layup by Brandon Mauer, who led the 3-point shooting barrage by going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.
The game was tied for the 11th time at 43-all when the Owls begin to take control as Worcester State was saddled with foul troubles.
Baker and Brandon Mauer hit back-to-back treys for a 49-43 advantage. Westfield began its march to the foul line and took a 12-point lead, 59-47, at the 7:06 mark. The closest Worcester State got was an eight-point deficit in the final seven minutes.
Worcester State also had balanced scoring with three players in double figures: Will Spont (13), Elijah Sims (11) and Brandon Fortes (11). Ryan Frassica scored nine points and Josh Barry (Sheffield, Mass.) added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Release Courtesy of Westfield Sports Information