WESTFIELD, Mass. – Freshman guard Joe Crapps (Springfield/New Leadership) scored a game-high 16 points and junior guard Jordan Santiago (Westfield) scored all 13 of his points in the second half to lead Westfield State University to a 68-60 victory over the University of Southern Maine in opening night of the Rick Martin/Holiday Inn Express Men's Basketball Classic on Friday, Nov. 15.

Santiago drained two consecutive 3-point baskets to give the Owls the lead for good, 54-50, with 9:20 remaining in the game. Westfield extended its lead to 59-53 when Crapps converted a steal into a layup at the 4:57 mark.

Holding the Huskies scoreless for a three-minute span, the Owls led 63-55 with 1:32 remaining following a two-handed dunk by freshman center Shane Pasquantonio and a free throw from Santiago.

Southern Maine jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the opening four minutes, but Westfield came back to tie the score at 16-all on a layup by Crapps with 9:33 remaining.

Westfield took its biggest lead of the first half, 21-17, following another Crapps layup. The Owls led at the intermission, 32-31, following consecutive 3-point baskets by junior forward Dan Johnson in the final two minutes of the first half.

Johnson was Westfield's third leading scorer with eight points, and junior forwards Grant Cooper and Dan Tessier tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds apiece.

Westfield shot 42 percent from the field, including 6 for 20 from 3-point range. Southern Maine shot 45 percent from the floor but only canned 2 of 13 from beyond the arc.

Each team only shot 46 percent from the foul line – Westfield was 18 for 39 and Southern Maine was 12 for 26.

James Odneal, a 6-7 junior forward from Pontiac, Mich., tied for game-high scoring honors with 16 points and senior forward Conor Sullivan posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Classic concludes on Saturday, Nov. 16, when Southern Maine plays St. Joseph's (NY) College at 1:00 p.m., followed by Plymouth State and Westfield State at 3:00 p.m.