Junior forward Aaron West started his third game and scored a season-high eight points in a 69-57 victory at Framingham.
FRAMINGHAM – Junior forward Grant Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) recorded a double-double to lead Westfield State University to a 69-57 win over the Framingham State University Rams on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 1, in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men’s basketball action at the Athletic Recreation Center.
The Owls improve to 11-8 on the year and 4-3 in the MASCAC, while the Rams fall to 7-12 overall and 2-5 in the conference.
Cooper tallied a team-high 15 points for the Owls to go along with game highs of 12 rebounds and five steals; he also dished five assists. Freshman Jesus Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) tallied 14 points off the bench for the Owls on 4-of-7 from the field, while junior guard Robby Jones (Chicopee, Mass.) chipped in with nine points and four steals. Aaron West (8 points), Dan Johnson (7) and Carl Stewart (6) contributed to the balanced scoring attack.
The Rams were led by a game-high 16 points from sophomore guard Tim McCarthy. McCarthy connected on 4-of-7 from behind the arc in the game. Junior forward George Jordan (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds for the Rams, while classmate Patrick Cuff (Medway, Mass.) contributed 10 points and seven boards before fouling out late in the second half.
In a first half that saw three ties and six lead changes, the Owls took a three-point (28-25) lead into the locker room after scoring four of the half’s final five points. Sophomore Brian Foley (Worcester, Mass.) converted a layup and Jones sank a putback in the paint as time expired in the half to put the visitors up for good.
The Owls opened the second half with an 11-1 run over the first four minutes of the frame to take a 39-26 lead. The Rams chipped away and pulled within four on a pair of threes from McCarthy, but the Owls quickly pushed the lead back to 10 on a three by Jones with 8:10 remaining.
The Rams cut the deficit back to single digits pulling within five (56-51) with 6:28 on the clock, but that was as close as they would get. The Owls sank 7-of-8 from the line in the final 1:27 to secure the victory.
The Rams return to conference action on Tuesday evening when they host Fitchburg State University 8:00 p.m., while the Owls host Bridgewater State on Tuesday for MASCAC game beginning at 7:30 p.m.
