Rogers, Jr., Price-Espada Combine for 41, Owls Take Down Rams 78-63

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State first-year forward Kenneth Rogers, Jr. (Springfield, Mass.) scored a game-high 24 points as the Owls remained in sole possession of first place in the MASCAC standings after a 78-63 victory over Framingham State on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Owls advance to 6-1 in the MASCAC and 16-4 overall, staying atop the conference standings with the victory while the Rams drop their third straight conference game and move to 3-3 in the league and 9-11 overall.

Rogers, Jr. took control of the game from the opening tip-off, scoring the first nine points of the game for either side to give the Owls an early lead 2:07 into the contest. A three-pointer from Xavier Lewis (Long Island, N.Y.) quickly pushed the Westfield lead into double figures with 13:10 left in the half.

The Owls were able to extend the lead to as many as 15 points in the first half, scoring on three straight trips down the floor including a pair of triples from Rogers, Jr. who knocked down his first three three-point attempts on the afternoon, notching 15 first-half points. With just over a minute left in the half, a crafty backdoor cut from Angel Price-Espada (Cambridge, Mass.) allowed him to convert a layup at the rim to give the Owls a 37-26 lead entering halftime.

Westfield used a hot shooting start to open up a double-digit halftime lead, converting on 50 percent of their field goal attempts in what was another opening twenty minutes in which Westfield shot at or better than 50 percent. The Owls also knocked down five threes in the half and forced 15 Rams turnovers which led to 13 points scored on the ensuing possession.  

Five straight points to begin the second half for the Owls drove the Westfield lead up to 15 points after an put back layup from Rogers, Jr. then a triple from Timmy Jacobus (Willemstad, Curacao) made it a 42-26 Owls advantage with 18:43 to go in the game.

Two straight trips to the line for Rogers, Jr. ballooned the Owls lead to their largest of the afternoon, making all four free throws to open a 47-29 lead with 17:04 remaining.

Framingham cut into the Owls lead over the next four minutes, ripping off a 10-0 scoring run to trim the deficit to single digits at 49-41 with just under 14 minutes to play.

Out of an Owls timeout, Westfield forced a turnover, leading to a bucket in transition from Lid Moreland (Bridgeport, Conn.) who snapped the Framingham burst to put the game back to a ten-point margin.

Later in the half, with the Owls ahead 51-42, the Rams made another charge to get within five points after JD Okafor (Hyde Park, Mass.) scored through contact and made a free throw to trail the Owls 53-48 with 9:52 left.

Westfield answered by tallying eight consecutive points of their own with Kobe Parker (Chicopee, Mass.) scoring a contested layup. A.Z. Allah (Springfield, Mass.) split a pair of free throws, then a gritty Owls possession which resulted in two offensive rebounds ended in a layup from Price-Espada. Westfield then forced a Rams turnover leading to a wing three from Allah which gave the Owls a 61-48 lead with 7:58 left in regulation.

Two free throws from Kyle Philistin (North Plainfield, N.J.) halted the run but a layup from Parker and a second triple of the half from Allah distanced Westfield to a 16-point lead. The Rams would get as close as nine points for the remainder of the game after three made free throws from Marshall Kerley (Phoenix, Ariz.) but two makes at the stripe and a layup from Price-Espada with 1:32 to go cushioned the lead back into double figures, sending Westfield to their sixth conference win.

Rogers, Jr.'s 24-point outing was the 11^th time this season the first-year forward has scored 20 or more points in a game. Price-Espada scored 17 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting from the floor. Allah (12 points) and Moreland (10 points) were also in double figures for Westfield.

Okafor and Philistin both recorded 14 points for Framingham while Joshua Saint Jean (Lynn, Mass.) tallied nine points.

Westfield put forth a strong effort on the defensive glass against a lengthy Rams frontcourt, allowing just three Framingham offensive rebounds and seven second chance points. Both teams scored an even 32 points in the paint while the Owls thrived off Framingham miscues, generating 27 points off 25 Rams turnovers. 

Westfield State, winners of 10 of their last 11 games, will return home to face MCLA in a MASCAC midweek game on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.