WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior guard Lee Vazquez (Attleboro) had game-highs of 20 points, six assists and six steals, and junior center Matt Devine (Pembroke) posted a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds) and seven blocked shots to power Westfield State University to a 71-48 victory over Western New England University on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
 
The Owls boosted their record to 6-2 while the Golden Bears dropped to 3-4.
 
Westfield had to bounce back from an early 10-point deficit in notching the runaway victory. The Owls struggled early and fell behind, 19-9, with 9:55 remaining in the first half.
 
Westfield then went on a 14-2 run over the next five minutes to take the lead for good, 23-21, on putback by Ryan White at the 4:19 mark.
 
"It was a nice victory; we played well as a team tonight," said the high-scoring Vazquez (25.5 points per game), who was held scoreless in the opening eight minutes. "At first we were trying to get the ball into Matt (Devine) and Western New England was playing good defense. But once we adjusted we played really well. It was nice to see four players scoring in double figures. We also limited our turnovers (14 for the game) and passed the ball well (17 assists)."
 
Westfield led at the break, 32-26, and continued its relentless full-court press defense and offensive execution in the second half. The Owls outscored the Golden Bears, 13-3, in the opening six minutes of the second stanza to take a 45-29 lead. Westfield took a 21-point lead, 59-38, on two free throws by Devine with 8:09 remaining.
 
Devine, a 6-7 center with the wingspan of a seven-footer, has been spectacular through the first eight games, averaging 12.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.3 blocks.
 
Also scoring in double figures for Westfield were freshman forward Grant Cooper of Northampton (12 points, 4 assists, 3 steals) and junior guard Travis Nally of Melrose (13 points).  Westfield shot 44 percent from the field and outrebounded Western New England, 44-37.
 
Andre Shaw (New York, NY) was the only player in double figures for WNE with 14 points. After a strong start, the Golden Bears only shot 31 percent from the field for the game, including a 2 for 18 effort from 3-point range.