WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior forward Grant Cooper (Northampton) led a balanced attack with a game-high 24 points as Westfield State University rolled to a 73-63 victory over Salem State on Tuesday, Feb. 11.

Westfield and Salem both own 6-3 records in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, a half game behind first place Bridgewater State (7-3). The Owls improved to 13-9 overall following their fifth straight conference victory; Salem is 13-8.

Cooper again took game-high scoring honors despite an off-shooting night. The 6-3, 215-pound left-handed shooter missed 20 shots; he was 8 for 20 from the field and 8 for 16 from the foul line. The hard-working swingman has 988 career points heading into Saturday's key game vs. Worcester State.

"I didn't play my best but my teammates picked up the slack for me and it was a huge win for the team," said Cooper.

Three other players scored in double figures for the Owls – freshman guard Jesus Sanchez (13 points), senior center Carl Stewart (11), and junior forward Dan Tessier (10). In addition, junior transfer point guard Robby Jones of Chicopee contributed nine points, three assists and three steals. Sanchez also had three assists and three steals.

In the game's most impressive statistic, Jones played 40 minutes with no turnovers. Team-wise, the Owls only committed 10 turnovers.

"Our guards (Jones and Sanchez) are doing a great job; they have a lot on their plates each game," said Cooper. "They carry a heavy burden but they are playing huge for us lately."

Cooper also cited the Owl defense for its stellar play, especially in the first half. Westfield led 33-19 at halftime as Salem shot 20 percent (5 for 24) from the field, including 3 for 14 from behind the arc.
"The key to the victory tonight was the defense, especially shutting down their shooters," said Cooper.

Salem held its final lead, 11-10, midway through the first half. Westfield then took control and built a 26-15 lead with 3:13 remaining on a Jones layup. The Owls took their 14-point halftime lead on a 3-pointer by Sanchez at the buzzer.

Westfield continued playing hard-nosed defense in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Owls took their biggest lead of 19 points, 47-28, at the 13:37 mark and led 57-41 with seven minutes remaining.  Salem closed to within eight points with 51 seconds left but it was too late.

Nicholas Grassa scored a team-high 14 points for the Vikings, who were 6 for 27 from 3-point range. Hamed Akanni and Jon Perez scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.