WESTFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore guard Lee Vazquez (Attleboro) poured in a game-high 24 points and senior forward Jesse Benoit posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to lead Westfield State University to a 75-69 victory over Fitchburg State University on Saturday, Feb. 19.

The Owls concluded the regular season with three straight victories this week to finish with an 11-14 overall record. They finished in a three-way tie with MCLA and Bridgewater State for second place in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) with a 7-5 record. Westfield is the No. 4 seed in the conference's six-team postseason tournament and will host an opening round game on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 7:00 p.m.

Fitchburg finishes its season 4-19 and 1-11; the Falcons do not qualify for the tournament as they placed seventh in the MASCAC.

The Owls held the lead for most of the game but the Falcons went on a 9-0 run for a 16-13 lead with 11:49 left in the first half. Westfield rebounded to take a 38-35 lead at the intermission.

Westfield led for the entire second half except for a 44-44 tie with 14:56 remaining. The Owls led 64-58 with 7:32 remaining but the teams were unable to score a field goal over the next four minutes.

Vazquez came up big with a free throw with 3:54 remaining then converted a conventional three-point play 21 seconds later for a 68-59 advantage. A Chris Jurkowski (Belchertown) layup capped the key 6-0 run for a 70-59 lead with 2:36 on the clock.

Sophomore center Matt Devine (Pembroke) also scored in double figures for the Owls with 18 points. Freshman point guard Andrew Morgan (Somerset, NJ) played a fine floor game with seven points, seven assists and two steals. Reserve forward Marcellus Lee had eight points and five rebounds in 13 minutes of action.

Three players scored in double figures for the Falcons, led by 6-8 sophomore center Zach Valliere (Douglas) with 20 points and nine rebounds. Senior forward Elliot Knower (Baldwinville) scored 14 points and junior guard Jeremy Kimber (Fitcburg) had 11.