WESTFIELD, Mass. – Worcester State's junior guard Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) swished a three-pointer from two steps inside half court as time expired, vaulting Worcester State past Westfield State, 89-88, in MASCAC action Wednesday night at the Woodward Center.
"The game winner by Bilal was just him doing what he does," said head coach Dave Lindberg. "We ran a play to get him the ball and he did the rest."
On the previous play, Westfield State junior guard Jesus Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) sunk a contested pull-up jumper from just inside the arc to give the Owls an 88-86 lead with 3.1 seconds left.
After a Worcester timeout, the Lancers inbounded to Shakir near their own three-point line and the 5-foot-7 guard spun free of his defender, giving himself enough time for two dribbles before launching from just inside midcourt for the game-winner.
Not only did Shakir place the Lancers atop Westfield State, but he also scored a career-high 34 points against the Owls. He went 12-for-21 (57.1%) from the field, 5-for-12 (41.6%) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 5-for-5 (100%) from the free throw line in 32 minutes of play. He also registered a game-high four steals, three rebounds, and two assists on the evening.
After leading 43-42 at the break, Westfield surrendered the first 12 points of the second half and trailed the entire period until junior center Shane Pasquantonio (Ashland, Mass.) tipped home a Jose Allen (Amherst, Mass.) miss with 49 seconds remaining to give the Owls an 84-83 advantage.
On the ensuing defensive possession, sophomore forward Evan Hopson (North Providence, RI) forced Worcester freshman Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) to miss a contested pull-up jumper and Sanchez canned two free throws to put the Owls ahead 86-83.
Santos, however, redeemed himself on the next trip up the floor, canning a three-pointer from the top of the key on a nice drive-and-kick from Shakir to even the score at 86 with 21 seconds remaining. The 6-foot-3 guard finished with 23 points on the night, but took 22 shots to get there.
"Alex hit a huge three for us tonight to tie the game on a pass from Bilal," stated Lindberg. "He had not been shooting well the entire game from the outside, but he shot that ball with great confidence."
Allen and sophomore guard Allister Williams (Boston, Mass.) led the Owls with 18 points apiece, while Shane Pasquantonio (14 points, 6 rebounds) and Tchuijo Nkamebo (13 points, 6 rebounds) also reached double figures. Nkamebo scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime, including two dunks, one a two-hand, put-back slam that evened the score at 82 with 2:40 left.
Junior center Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) had a huge game defensively for the Lancers. The 6-foot-9 center blocked five shots, and altered many more attempts at the rim, while also chipping in 13 points.
Both teams shot 47 percent for the game, but Westfield committed 21 turnovers. The Owls made up for their sloppy ball-handling with 20 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points.
"We seemed to find a way every time we had to tonight," stated Lindberg. "Westfield is a tough physical team that makes everything tough. We played from in front the whole game, but every time we gained some distance, they would come charging right back."
With the win, the Lancers improve to 12-7, and 4-2 in MASCAC play. The Owls dip to 8-10, and 3-3 in conference play.
Next up the Lancers will travel to MCLA for a 3 p.m. tip off on Saturday (Jan. 30), while the Owls will host Fitchburg State on the same date, also at 3 p.m.
Portions of this Release Courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information