Men's Basketball Celebrates Senior Day with Win, Rogers' 1000th Point

WESTFIELD., Mass. – Sophomore  Kenney Rogers (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Int. Charter) scored his 1,000^th career point and the Owls celebrated senior day in style, as Westfield State University  rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Fitchburg State, 90-87 in a barn-burner in the regular-season finale at the Woodward Center on Saturday afternoon.

Westfield closes the regular-season with a 20-5 record and a 12-2 record in the conference.  Westfield will be the number-1 seed in the upcoming MASCAC men's basketball tournament.  The Owls will host a semifinal round playoff game on FRIDAY evening, Feb. 26.  

The two teams battled back and forth in an intense, fast-paced, physical game. Falcons lead burgeoned to 51-41 on Nicolas Von Zboray's three just 1:53 into the second half.

Owls tied the game at 57-all on a breakaway layup from Xavier Lewis with 14:20 left to play.

Rogers scored his 1,000th career point on a three-pointer from just left of the top of the key with 16:21 left in the game, trimming the Falcons' lead to 53-48.

Fitchburg threw everything but the kitchen sink defensively at Rogers , blitzing him on the perimeter to try to get the ball out of his hands, and doubling in the low post to try to prevent him from catching it.

With 5:15 left in the game, Rogers picked up his fourth foul , and the Falcons led 78-74 after a pair of  free throws.

Westfield got back-to-back breakaways with a layup from Xavier Lewis (Long Island, NY) and then off a an Owls' steal a jumper from Jason James (Ansonia, Conn.) tied game at 78, then another runout for the Owls on the next possession gave the Owls an 80-78 lead when Lewis fed James for a layup and forced a timeout from the Fitchburg bench.

After the timeout the Falcons tied the game at 80-all on a wheeling Xavier Smaltz drive after time out.

Fitchburg led 84-82 on a drive from Kobe Witherow-Bass, but a pair of free throws from A.Z. Allah (Springfield, Mass./MacDuffie) tied the game at 84.

Trailing 85-84, Rogers was fouled on a baseline drive and made the bucket and completed the traditional three-point play for an 86-85 Owls' lead, then on the next possession Rogers looked to operate from the top of the key, and found Joe Thomson (Belchertown, Mass./Frontier) on a backdoor cut for a layup to boost Westfield's lead to 88-85 with 18 seconds left to play.

Witherow-Bass went to the hoop to cut the lead to one with seven seconds left, then Lewis made 1-of-2 at the line for the final margin.  Rogers stole the ball as time expired to ensure Fitchburg did not have the chance to tie late.

Rogers finished with a game-high 28 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds while battling foul trouble much of the day. Westfield played the final 3.5 minutes of the first half without either of their starting post players due to foul trouble.   Cam Hoekstra (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) gave the Ow s five boards in nine minutes in the first half off the bench in the frontcourt rotation.

Thomson celebrated his senior day with a 12-point, 16-rebound effort.   Lewis tossed in 24 points and grabbed five boards, James finished with 13 and Allah finished with nine points and eight assists.

Fitchburg was led by 18 each from Von Zboray and Witherow-Bass with Bass grabbing seven boards.   Matthew Drayton netted 15, Tommy Engel-Chatten (11), Joshua Jean Charles (10) and Smaltz (10) all finished in double figures in scoring Braeden White handed out nine assists for the Falcons.  Fitchburg finishes the season 11-14 overall and 5-9 in the MASCAC, missing the sixth final spot in the conference tournament in a tie breaker to MCLA.

Rogers becomes the 25^th 1000-point scorer as an Owl.

Westfield State celebrated its senior day before the game, recognizing one men's basketball senior and four senior cheerleaders.

Thomson has had a strong year for the Owls after transferring from Division I Davidson College.   He currently leads the MASCAC in rebounding at 11.3 per game.  Thomson has returning eligibility available should he choose to exercise it.

Cheerleaders Trevor Pluff, Ella Drinkwater, Gabriella Dumont, and Evelyn Parker were also recognized.  Pluff and Drinkwater have been the Owls captains this season.