Westfield’s Grant Cooper pulls up for an in-the-paint jumper between Wesleyan big men Glen Thomas (23) and Mike Callaghan. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
WESTFIELD – Senior guard Shasha Brown (Harlem, NY) scored a game-high 23 points to lead Wesleyan University to a 70-59 victory over Westfield State University in non-conference men’s basketball Wednesday.
The Cardinals (6-3) rallied from an early 20-10 deficit to hand the Owls (6-1) their first setback of the young season.
Brown excelled at the free throw line, canning 10 of 13, including 10 of 12 in the second half. Reserve guard Avery Robinson sparked Wesleyan off the bench with 11 points, including nine second-half markers.
Wesleyan played an effective zone defense after falling behind early. In a key statistic, the Cardinal dominated the glass, outrebounding the Owls, 47-29, led by the big frontcourt of Rashid Epps (10 points, 10 rebounds), Mike Callaghan (7 points, 9 rebounds) and Glen Thomas (6 points, 10 rebounds).
With the score tied at 6-all, Westfield went on a 14-4 run to take a 20-10 advantage with 13:15 left in the first half. Wesleyan regrouped to cut the deficit to two, 34-32, at halftime.
Westfield freshman forward Brian Foley lays in two first-half points; defending on the play is Wesleyan’s Shasha Brown. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
Westfield led 37-34 when Wesleyan went on a 12-0 run over a six-minute span to take a 46-37 lead with 12:44 left in the game. A 3-point basket by Robinson gave Wesleyan the lead for good, 39-37, at the 16:33 mark. Four other Cardinals also scored during the key scoring spurt, including a 3-point basket by Derick Beresford, one of four Wesleyan players in double figures with 10 points.
The Owls closed to with four points, 53-49, on a layup by Matt Devine with 6:18 remaining. Westfield attempted several good shots after cutting the deficit to four but it was unable to score.
Wesleyan then put away the game with a 9-2 run to take a 63-51 lead with 2:11 remaining. Four points from Brown and another 3-ball by Robinson keyed the run.
Devine led the Owls with 16 points and eight rebounds and sophomore forward Grant Cooper finished with 10 points. Westfield high-scoring guard Lee Vazquez was held to nine points, including two in the second half.
Westfield outshot Wesleyan from the field (45 percent to 35 percent) but the Owls were only 3 for 15 from 3-point range and 10 for 16 from the foul line. Wesleyan shot 7 for 23 from beyond the arc and 17 for 26 from the charity stripe.
Also, after shooting 58 percent in the first half the Owls only shot 33 percent (9 for 27) in the second half when they were outscored, 38-25.
