Lee Vazquez now has 1,392 career points to move into seventh place on the Owls’ all-time scoring list. The 5-6 guard has poured in 117 points in the last four games (37-17-38-25) including 35 points in the final 21 minutes vs. Worcester.
WORCESTER – Senior Lee Vazquez (Attleboro, MA) exploded for 29 of his 37 points in the second half to power Westfield State an 86-70 triumph over Worcester State in MASCAC men’s basketball action Tuesday at the Lancer Gymnasium.
Westfield State, which rallied from an eight-point deficit early in the second half, improves its mark to 16-4 and 6-2 in league play. The Lancers fall to 10-9 and 4-4 in the seven-team loop.
Vazquez, who was nearly unconscious in the final stanza, connected for 10-for-18 from the field – with six three-pointers – and added an 11-for-13 effort from the charity stripe. He was four points shy of his career-best of 41 points which came against Worcester State in a regular-season win at the Woodard Center last year.
The explosive 5-6 guard scored six points in the last 53 seconds of the first half for a total of 35 of his 37 points in the game’s final 21 minutes.
Vazquez also added six assists and four steals. Sophomore Grant Cooper (Northampton, MA) added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists and 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 with 11 points and 13 boards, while senior Monte Goodwin (Boston, MA/Belmont) came down with 11 rebounds.
Worcester senior Kyle Ferreira (Westport, MA) poured in 16 points and freshman Alex Lopez (Springfield, MA/Commerce) ended with 11 points and four assists.
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 big scoring run, Vazquez drained four consecutive 3-pointers to vault the Owls to a 51-47 lead with just over 13 minutes remaining.
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 moved into sole possession of second place in the MASCAC.
Worcester State 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.
Worcester State shot a modest 38 percent for the game (23-for-60). The hosts 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 3:00 p.m.
OWLS WOMEN OUTPLAY WORCESTER STATE: Freshman Keri Doldoorian (Whitinsville, MA/Sutton) paced a balanced scoring attack with 12 points and six rebounds to help lead Westfield State to a 56-41 victory over Worcester State in MASCAC women’s basketball action Tuesday.
Sophomore Gabby Felix (Springfield, MA/Commerce) also helped propel the Owls to their fifth straight win with 10 points and senior Briana Kelly (Hampden, MA) chipped in with eight points and five boards.
Sophomore Jen Ashton (Beverly, MA) had solid all-around contributions with six points, four caroms, three assists and a game-best five steals.
