Hamilton Posts Double-Double, Owls Race Past Ramapo, 94-76

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior forward Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) recorded 21 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Owls raced past Ramapo 94-76 in day two of the Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Classic from Westfield, Mass. on Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton netted all ten of his field goal attempts in the game, setting a new program record for highest field goal efficiency in a single game, passing Marcus Collins '17 who posted a .909 FG% (10-11) against Elms back in 2017. The senior forward also protected the rim on the defensive end of the floor, registering four blocks in the contest. Hamilton currently sits at 985 career points after Saturday's dominant performance.

Dom Strother (Edinburg, Va.) added 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Owls. Lid Moreland (Bridgeport, Conn.) scored 14 points and dished out a game-high five assists. Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) chipped in 13 points while Angel Price Estrada reached double figure scoring with ten points.

Peter Gorman (South Amboy, N.J.) led the Roadrunners with 20 points, knocking down three triples on the afternoon. Jordan Myers (Piscataway, N.J.) followed with 15 points and secured nine rebounds. Anees Raheem (Union, N.J.) added 13 points for Ramapo, all of which came in the second half.

Neither team gained a significant edge in the first half, with the Owls extending their lead to nine points after a pair of free throws from Moreland, then a layup from Teng gave Westfield a 34-25 lead with 1:10 left in the half.

Gorman scored a layup for the Roadrunners, producing 13 first-half points as Westfield entered the halftime break up seven points, 34-27.

In the second half, Hamilton scored a layup on the game's first possession, then after a Ramapo turnover, Moreland drove into the lane and finished through contact to push the Owls lead to double digits at 38-27.

A pair of free throws from Shane Rooney (Hawthorne, N.J.) cut the Owls lead back to nine points, but Price-Estrada jumpstarted a 12-0 scoring run with a triple, capped off by a five-point burst from Teng to drive Westfield's lead to 21 points. The Owls would lead by as much as 27 points in the second half as Westfield finished with 60 points in the second half, barely missing the program-record mark of 65 set at the 2021-22 Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Classic.

Westfield State (2-0) will travel to Dartmouth College in their next game on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. Ramapo (1-1) hosts Sarah Lawrence College on Wednesday at 7:30 P.M.

GAME TWO: Western Connecticut 77, William Paterson 76

Western Connecticut junior guard Keeshawn Jones (Middletown, N.Y.) buried the go-ahead three with 45 seconds left in the game as the Wolves rallied past William Paterson University 77-76 in game two of Saturday's Rick Martin/Hampton Inn Classic.

Jahiem Young (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Wolves in scoring with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Alfonso Stokes (Bloomfield, Conn.) added 14 points followed by Jeremiah Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with 12 points and four steals.

Shawn Summers Jr. (Montclair, N.J.) and David Martinez (Maywood, N.J.) paced the Pioneers with 22 points apiece. Neftali Valentin (New York, N.Y.) and Andre Wells (Matawan, N.J.) each compiled 11 points.

Western Connecticut (1-1) will host John Jay College on Tuesday at 6:00 P.M. William Paterson (1-2) will host Penn College for their next game on Wednesday at 5:00 P.M.

2023 Rick Martin/Hampton Inn All-Classic Team:

Westfield State – Brendon Hamilton

Ramapo College – Anthony Corbo

Western Connecticut State – Jaheim Young

William Paterson – David Martinez