Worcester, MA --- Westfield State senior Lee Vazquez (Attleboro, MA) drained 29 of his 37 points in the second-half as he led the charge for the Owls in an 86-70 triumph over Worcester State in MASCAC men's basketball action this evening at the Lancer Gymnasium.
With the win Westfield State improves its mark to 16-4 and 6-2 in league play while the Lancers fall to 10-9 and 4-4 in the seven-team loop.
The Blue and Gold could not find an answer for Vazquez in the final stanza as he connected for 10-for-18 from the field – with six three-pointers – and he added an 11-for-13 effort from the charity stripe. He also added six helpers and four swipes in the win for the visitors.
Sophomore Grant Cooper (Northampton, MA) added 14 points, five rebounds and five helpers as senior Matt Devine (Pembroke, MA) corralled a game-best 13 boards to go with five blocks.
Junior Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MO) paced the Lancers with 22 points, nine caroms and four assists. Classmate Dane Jobst (Athol, MA) registered his 13th double-double of the campaign with a final tally of 11 points and 13 boards while senior Monte Goodwin (Boston, MA/Belmont) came down with 11 rebounds.
Fourth-year Kyle Ferreira (Westport, MA) poured in 16 points and freshman Alex Lopez (Springfield, MA/Commerce) ended the evening with 11 points and four assists in the setback.
With Worcester State nursing the 41-33 advantage early in the second stanza, Vazquez sparked a furious 27-6 spurt as he netted 19 of their points in the rally for the 60-47 lead with 11:12 remaining.
Midway through the skein, Vazquez fired away four consecutive three-pointers and the 51-47 edge for good with 13:15 on the clock.
Ferreira came to the rescue for the Lancers with a three straight triples in a 14-2 run to help the hosts' trail 62-61 with just under 8:00 left to play.
But the Lancers turned the ball over on four possessions and went cold on the floor over the next five minutes as Westfield State took full advantage and turned a one-point game into an 81-62 advantage with 3:07 left in regulation.
The Owls maintained their lead the rest of the way as they move all alone into second place in the MASCAC standings.
Worcester State originally led 15-4 seven minutes into the contest and as much as 10 with 5:56 left in the opening stanza (27-17). Vazquez started his aerial assault with the final six points of the period to help the visitors trail, 34-31 at the break.
The Owls were on fire in the second period as they finished with a blistering 55 percent for the stanza (17-for-31) and 47 percent for the game (29-for-62).
Despite shooting just 59 percent from the line (20-for-34), they led in points in the paint (26-22), second-chance points (10-6), and points in transition (14-11).
Westfield State also outscored their opponents, 55-36, in the second frame and parlayed 24 Lancer miscues into a 38-10 edge.
For the contest, Worcester State shot a modest 38 percent for the game (23-for-60) as the hosts also held a 44-34 edge on the backboards for the game and a 15-11 margin on the offensive glass.
Both squads will play MASCAC opponents on Saturday. Worcester State heads to first-place MCLA for a 5:30 showdown while Westfield State hosts Bridgewater State at 3 o'clock.