Hamilton, Owls Win Conference Opener at Framingham, 69-60

Westfield, Mass. – Westfield State junior forward Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) registered his ninth double-double of the season as the Owls defeated Framingham State 69-60 on the road in the conference opener on Saturday afternoon. Hamilton scored a team-high 18 points, while recording 13 rebounds and six blocks. The victory moves the Owls to 11-2 on the season.

Senior forward Kumar Brown (Enfield, Conn.) returned from a seven-game absence due to injury and was the only other Owls player to score in double figures, adding 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Owls scored the final eight points to carry a seven-point lead into the break. In the second half, a three-pointer by sophomore Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) followed by a lay-up by junior Jeremy Remigio (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) pushed the lead to double digits. The Owls would keep building the lead, as Brown connected on consecutive buckets to give the Owls a 15-point lead halfway through the second half. The Rams would cut the lead down to seven with just two minutes to play, but that was as close as they would get down the stretch. 

Rams' sophomore Jahden Erold (Boston, Mass.) scored a game-high 27 points on an efficient 12-15 shooting from the field (3-3 from three-point range). First-year Ivan Nyantenji (Nashua, N.H.) scored 20 points as the duo combined for 47 of the Rams 60 points.

Westfield State connected on 29 of 63 shots (46.0%) while Framingham made 25 of 48 attempts (52.1%). The Rams also buried six of nine triples (66.7%) and the Owls converted on three of 18 three-pointers (16.7%). The Owls held the advantage on the glass (36-31) as well as points in the paint (50-30). Westfield won the turnover battle, generating 17 turnovers to the Rams eight.

Westfield State will carry a six-game winning streak into their next matchup on Wednesday as the Owls are tentatively scheduled to travel to Salem State for a 7:00 P.M. tip-off. Framingham State (2-12, 0-2 MASCAC) will travel to Fitchburg State on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M.