Owls Fall at Western New England

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State men's basketball team were defeated by Western New England University 101-65 on Tuesday night from the Alumni Healthful Living Center in Springfield, Mass.

The Owls kept the game close through the midway point of the first half, trailing 20-19 with 9:12 to play in the half. However, Western New England finished the period on a 22-8 run to extend the Golden Bears lead to 14 heading into the break.

WNEU dominated play in the second half, outscoring the Owls by 22 points as the Golden Bears shot 57.1% from the field to close out the game.

After missing the first three games of the season due to injury, senior JT Thompson (Columbia, S.C.) returned to the lineup, totaling a team-high 13 points. Senior forward Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) was the other Owls player in double figures, recording ten points and five rebounds.

Golden Bears forwards Tim Restall (Tolland, Conn.) and Jake Harrison (South Boston, Mass.) combined for 45 points with Restall recording a double-double with a game-high 24 points (10-17 FG) and 12 rebounds. Harrison buried 14 free throws, leading to a 21-point effort to go along with seven assists.

The Owls struggled from the field in the contest, posting marks of 30.0% (18-60) from the floor and 26.7% from deep (8-30).

WNEU shot over 50% from the floor (31-60) and connected on six of 17 triples. The Golden Bears went to the line 45 times, scoring on 73% of those attempts.

Westfield State will look to get back on track this season at home, hosting the Rick Martin and Hampton Inn Tournament on Friday and Saturday beginning with the Owls entertaining Middlebury on Friday at 5:30 P.M.