BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Vawn Lord (West Springfield, Mass.) poured in a game-high 35 points to lead the visiting Westfield State University men's basketball team to a 96-82 victory over Bridgewater State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contest on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The Owls improve to 11-6 on the season and 3-1 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 4-11 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

Lord connected of 15 of 26 field goal attempts and notched 11 rebounds (six offensive), four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Freshman guard Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) added 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and corralled ten boards (four offensive) for the Owls, while junior forward Justin Rennis (Springfield, Mass.) tallied 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting to along with seven rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.

Senior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) notched 25 points, five rebounds and four assists to pace the Bears. Senior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) added 17 points, eight rebounds (five offensive) and two steals for the hosts, while sophomore guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points as he connected on 3 of 6 three-point field goals.

BSU senior forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) recorded his seventh straight double-double and team-leading tenth of the season. St. Louis registered 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds (four offensive) to go along with two steals and three blocks.

The first half featured three ties and six lead changes with Westfield holding a 39-36 advantage at the break. The Bears largest lead was seven points (22-15) in the period while the Owls biggest advantage was six (33-27).

Lord scored 16 points to lead all players in the opening stanza. The Owls shot 53% (18-34) from the floor over the first 20 minutes, but went 1-for-7 at the free throw line. St. Louis and Carney tallied ten points apiece for the Bears who connected on just 33% (12-36) of their first-half field goal attempts. Bridgewater did, however, knock down 9 of 10 (90%) free throw attempts.

A 7-2 run over the first 90 seconds of the second half capped off by a Joseph Meade (Westfield, Mass.) dunk and free throw extended the Westfield lead to eight, 46-38. The Bears answered with an 8-2 run highlighted by a pair of Carney trifectas to cut the deficit to two, 48-46, with 17:18 showing on the scoreboard. The Owls then took control as they outscored the Bears 17-5 over the next 5 ½  minutes to make it a 65-51 game. Westfield got up by as many as 16 point on three separate occasions and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

The Owls shot 58% (40-69) for the game including 22-for-35 (63%) in the second half. After going 1 of 7 at the line in the opening period, Westfield managed to convert 11 of 16 (69%) free throws in the second half.

The Bears finished with shooting percentages of 37% (28-76) from the floor, 31% (8-26) from behind the arc and 75% (18-24) at the charity stripe.

The Owls dominated the inside game outscoring the Bears, 68-24, in the paint. The Westfield bench, led by Rennis' 16 points, outscored the BSU reserves by a margin of 21-7.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams next week. The Bears travel to Fitchburg State University on Wednesday night for a 7:30 game with the Falcons, while the Owls entertain the Vikings of Salem State University next Saturday afternoon at two.