James Scores 20, Owls Open New York Trip with Win at John Jay

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Senior captain Jason James (Ansonia, Conn.) scored 20 points as one of four Westfield State players in double figures as the Owls defeated John Jay College 80-68 in a road game from New York, N.Y. on Tuesday night.

The Owls (7-2) did damage on the glass throughout the night, mitigating the Bloodhound's ten made triples with strong interior play. Kenney Rogers (Springfield, Mass.) and Joe Thomson (Sunderland, Mass.) combined for 26 rebounds with Rogers finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Six of Thomson's 15 total boards were via offensive rebounds, earning nine points as well.

Westfield also got strong contributions from their starting backcourt with A.Z. Allah (Springfield, Mass.) finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. Xavier Lewis (Long Island, N.Y.) added 11 points and a game-high five steals.

Jamir Stewart led the Bloodhounds with 20 points followed by Adrian Kopec who nailed five three-pointers to contribute to his 17 points.

The Owls made a living in the paint and in transition, outscoring John Jay 54-26 in the paint while running on misses to the tune of 21 fast break points to the Bloodhounds' six.

In a game with 10 ties and 22 lead changes, the Owls were the superior team down the stretch. Leading 65-62 with 4:37 left in the game, Westfield went on a 12-1 run over the next three minutes to put the game on ice. Consecutive layups from Allah pushed the Owls lead up to seven points (69-62), then after a split trip at the stripe from Keyshawn Miller, Rogers buried a jumper followed by a Bloodhounds turnover and steal and score from Allah, pushing the lead into double digits with 2:45 remaining.

The Owls scored on six straight trips down the floor with Cam Hoekstra (Spencer, Mass.) pulling down three offensive rebounds to keep the possession alive, eventually finding Rogers who made two free throws after being fouled to make it a 14-point game, the largest lead of the night.

Westfield State has a quick turnaround for their next game, staying in New York while traveling to Westchester County, N.Y. to take on Purchase College in a day game tomorrow at 3:00 P.M.