WESTFIELD – Springfield College sophomore swingman Jake Ross (Williston Northampton/Northampton, Mass.) sprung for 37 points, more than half his team’s total, as the Pride held off Westfield State, 66-55 in a local rivalry men’s basketball game at the Woodward Center on Saturday afternoon.
Ross shot 14-20 from the floor, 1-3 from three-point range and made eight of 12 free throws on the afternoon. He also grabbed 16 rebounds and added three steals and two blocked shots.
Peter Mafo
Springfield improves to 4-0 with the win, while Westfield moves to 5-3 with the loss.
The Pride led 32-19 at the half, as Westfield shot just 23.5 percent (8-23) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
Springfield extended its lead to as many as 17 points, 38-21 on a Brandon Eckles (East Greenwich, R.I.) three-point play with 17:02 left in the half. Westfield trimmed the lead to as few as 11, 38-27 on a Isaiah Headley (Westfield/Springfield, Mass.) three-pointer with 14:28 left to play, but the Pride kept the lead in double figures for the remainder of the game.
Peter Mafo (Lynn Classical/Lynn, Mass.) and Allister Williams (Bedford/Boston, Mass.) each scored 12 points for the Owls. Freshman guard Ty Sands added seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.
For Springfield, Ross was the lone player to score in double figures. Eckles added eight points and Trey Witter (Farmigton/Unionville, Conn.) seven.
Westfield will be back in action on Tuesday, hosting Williams College, the number three ranked team in the nation in Division III on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Springfield will next host Trinity College on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. – Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports
