Westfield State 76, Worcester State 56
Worcester, MA --- In just his second career start, freshman Lee Vazquez (Attleboro, MA) capped off an impressive night with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to help lead Westfield State to a 76-56 triumph over Worcester State this evening in men's MASCAC basketball action at the Lancer Gymnasium.
With the win the Owls improve to 8-7 overall while the Lancers fall to 6-7. Both teams even out to 1-1 in the conference.
Westfield State was also led by senior Asa Abbot's (New Paltz, NY) 20 points while junior Vilenti Tulloch (Springfield, MA) and freshman Matt Devine (Pembroke, MA) each combined for 17 points. Third-year Jesse Devine (Pembroke, MA) also grabbed 7 boards off the bench for the Owls.
WSC was propelled by senior Maurice Horton's (Detroit, MI/Burncoat) 23rd double-double of his career and 10th this season as he finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Fourth-year Pat Hamilton (Templeton, MA) and junior Dave Douillette (Bridgewater, MA) each added 10 points apiece while Hamilton tacked on a line of eight caroms. Horton also ended the evening with four assists.
The pace of the first half swung back and forth like a pendulum as there were 15 lead changes and 6 ties while neither team was ahead by more than three. With the game knotted at 30-30 at the 3:00 mark, Westfield State used an 8-0 run - with all eight coming from Vazquez, including back-to-back three pointers - to take a 38-30 advantage into the intermission.
The Owls maintained their cushion as the Lancers tried to get back into the game, but they could not overcome the deficit. WSC got as close as nine points three times midway through the stanza, before Westfield State took control of the contest. With the Owls up 52-43 with 10:33 remaining, the visitors used a 14-6 spurt to go ahead 66-49 at 3:49 and the largest lead of the game came in the form of the final score.
Worcester State held leads in rebounds (45-41), offensive boards (17-11), points in the paint (34-24) and bench points (23-19) while Westfield State held slim advantages in points off of turnovers (9-8) and second chance points (9-6).
The key statistic in the game was three-point shooting. The Lancers connected for just two of their 22 attempts while they allowed the Owls to shoot 9-for-22 from beyond the arc (41%).
WSC hosts Anna Maria on Thursday at 3 PM in non-conference action while the Owls will take a break until their 3 PM weekend matchup with Salem State at home on Saturday.