WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior guard Jordan Santiago (13 points, 5 assists, 4 steals) and junior forward Grant Cooper (8 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals) led Westfield State University to a 70-53 victory over Western New England University in non-conference men's basketball on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Westfield's balanced attack plus poor shooting by WNE lifted the Owls to their fourth victory in five starts. The Golden Bears are 2-4.
Westfield senior center Carl Stewart scored 11 points and blocked two shots, and junior reserve guard Robby Jones scored 13 points. Junior forward Dan Tessier chipped in with nine points.
Western New England struggled from the field, shooting only 28 percent, including 22 percent (7 for 31) in the second half when it was outscored, 39-26.
The Owls had difficulty at the outset with their shooting as they trailed 13-6 with 12:09 remaining in the first half. But Westfield went on two big scoring runs to take control of the game.
Trailing 19-14 with 7:07 left in the first half, Westfield went on a 13-0 run for a 27-19 lead at the 2:50 mark. The Owls, who played solid defense during the run, were led by two blocks and two layups by Stewart and five points from reserve guard Jesus Sanchez.
Westfield led 31-27 at halftime and 36-34 with 15:55 left in the game when it started another scoring spurt. The Owls outscored the Golden Bears, 17-2 to take a 53-36 lead with 11:09 remaining.
The big scoring run was highlighted by 3-point baskets by Tessier, Dan Johnson and Jones, who also added an old fashioned 3-point play.
Westfield led 57-39 at the 9:06 mark but Western New England cut the lead to 10, 57-47, with 7:22 remaining on a 3-point basket by Musa Elsir.
Westfield withstood the WNE punch and scored the next five points, highlighted by Santiago and Tessier steals.
The Owls shot 45 percent from the field, 40 percent (6 for 15) from 3-point range.
WNE sophomore forward Zack Askew led all scorers with 19 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Elsir finished with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Nick DeFeo finished with eight points and five assists.