Westfield State’s Marcus Collins launches a jumper against Framingham State. Collins finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the Owls’ 71-55 win. (Courtesy of WSU Sports)
WESTFIELD – Westfield State University got 21 points from junior guard Peter Mafo (Lynn Classical/Lynn, Mass.) and junior forward Marcus Collins (Rindge and Latin/Cambridge, Mass.) added 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead Westfield State to a 71-55 win over Framingham State in MASCAC men’s basketball at the Woodward Center on Wednesday evening.
Westfield State improves to 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the MASCAC, while Framingham drops to 5-12, and 1-3 in the league.
Westfield led for nearly the entire first half, and led 29-21 with 4:42 left in the opening frame on a drive by Mafo, but Framingham closed the half with a 9-1 run to tie the game 30-all at the break after a three pointer by Kenny Seitz with 48 seconds left in the half.
The Owls took control midway through the second half using an 18-3 run to build a 56-41 lead with 9:44 left to play. Trailing 38-37, with 16:08 to play Mafo gave the Owls the lead for good with a layup, and scored six of the 18 points in the outburst, which was fueled by the Owls’ press which forced five turnovers in the six minute stretch. The Owls got big three-pointers from Allister Williams (Bedford/Boston, Mass.) and Austin Joseph (Cardinal Spellman/Rockland, Mass.) to keep the momentum rolling.
Framingham was led by 13 points from Manny Payton (Fitchburg, Mass.), with Lorenzo Fernandes (Smithfield, R.I.) adding 11 and Charles Valbrun (Boston Prep/Hyde Park, Mass.) nine.
Williams finished with 11 points on 3-6 shooting from behind the arc, and Tray Rumley (Maloney/Meriden, Conn.) chipped in with five points and seven rebounds. Mafo shot 9-13 from the floor and was 2-2 at the foul line and grabbed four steals in his big night.
Westfield State will be back in action on Saturday, traveling to Salem State for a 3:00 tip off. Framingham plays Bridgewater on Saturday in another MASCAC game. – Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports
