Hamilton's 30 Points Leads Owls Past Fitchburg
Westfield State senior forward Brendon Hamilton led the way with 30 points as the Owls topped Fitchburg State, 81-63 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at the Woodward Center on Thursday evening.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
18 | 45 | 63 |
|
|
36 | 45 | 81 |
Team Stats
Fitchburg St.
| Game Statistics | Fitchburg St. | Westfield St. |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-61) | (32-64) |
| Field Goal % | 37.7% | 50.0% |
| Rebounds | 38 | 38 |
| Assists | 13 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 10 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 3 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 16 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 52 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 3 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 27 | 23 |
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior forward Brendon Hamilton led the way with 30 points as the Owls topped Fitchburg State, 81-63 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball game at the Woodward Center on Thursday evening.
The Owls improved to 3-3 in the MASCAC and 4-14 overall, while Fitchburg is now 2-4 in the league and 7-14 overall.
Westfield ran out to a 20-2 lead, getting eight points from Hamilton to key the run, and Kobe Parker's three-point play gave the Owls an 18-point advantage with 12:11 to play in the half. Hamilton scored 16 points and grabbed seven boards in the first half alone.
The Owls led 36-18 at the break.
Westfield held Fitchburg to just 6 of 29 shooting from the floor (20.7 pct) and forced the Falcons into nine turnovers. The Falcons were 0-8 from long range in the opening half. Tajahn Joyner led Fitchburg with six points.
Fitchburg made its run early in the second half, trimming the Owls lead to as few as nine points, at 46-37 at the 14:15 mark of the half as Joyner completed a three-point play. Hamilton was saddled with his third personal foul less than a minute into the second half and had gone to the bench as the Falcons started to rally.
Owls' coach Rich Sutter inserted the 2022 Conference Defensive Player of the Year back in coincidental with the Joyner three point-play, and Westfield instantly went on an 8-0 run, with Hamilton scoring six of the eight points in that run.
Hamilton's 30 points were just two off his career best, and he added a team high eight rebounds.
Westfield got scoring support from JT Thompson and Brendan Keaveny, with both netting 11 points on the day, and Keaveny punctuated the win with a late fast break dunk. Thompson added five steals. Westfield guards Parker and Gerry McManus each finished with eight points and four assists.
Fitchburg was led by 20 from Joyner, the only Falcon in double figures. Mikal Garcia addd nine pints, and Jordan Polanco and Quincy Taylor each netted eight. Taylor grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots.
Westfield State will next be in action on Saturday, hosting MCLA in a MASCAC doubleheader at the Woodward Center as the men play at 12 noon and the women follow at 2 p.m.
Fitchburg will be at MCLA on Wednesday, February 1 for a 5:00 p.m. tip.