Men’s Basketball Outlasted by Westfield State, 88-74

ORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team welcomed the Westfield State to the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium this afternoon for a MASCAC matchup with the Owls. MCLA's Quentin Gittens led all scorers with 30 points, but a monster 22-point and 18-rebound double-double from Westfield's Kenneth Rogers, Jr. was too much for the Trailblazers to overcome.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, January 11, 2025
• Score: Westfield 88, MCLA 74
• Records: Westfield State University Owls 12-3 (MASCAC 2-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 2-12 (MASCAC 0-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The game started slowly, with both teams only scoring a pair of baskets through nearly the first five minutes of play until senior guard Quentin Gittens (Pittsfield, MA) knocked down a three to put MCLA in front 7-4. Westfield's Eric Johnson nailed a jump shot before Gittens restored the Trailblazers' three-point edge.
• The Owls then began to warm up, breaking out with a 10-2 run and another 10-3 run, eventually building to their largest lead of the afternoon, a 15-point advantage with just under four minutes to go in the half. MCLA then responded with a 12-6 run to close out the frame and went into the halftime locker room trailing 43-34.
• The second half was much the same as the first, but Westfield's Kenneth Rogers, Jr.'s 12 points and nine rebounds in the second half helped the Owls stay in front.
• Gittens led all scorers with 30 points, junior guard Craig Williams (Dover, DE) added 15 points, and graduate student forward Jackson Brown (Latham, NY) contributed 10 points.
• The Owls were led by Rogers' 22 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Lid Moreland and Xavier Lewis each added 15 points for the visitors.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: Westfield 26-60 / 43.3%, MCLA 26-62 / 41.9%
• 3 Points / %: Westfield 3-11 / 27.3%, MCLA 7-26 / 26.9%
• Free Throw / %: Westfield 33-45 / 73.3%, MCLA 15-24 / 62.5%
• Rebounds: Westfield 47, MCLA 28
• Points off Turnovers: Westfield 12, MCLA 8
• Second Chance Points: Westfield 17, MCLA 8
• Points in the Paint: Westfield 32, MCLA 32
• Bench Points: Westfield 24, MCLA 15

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Bridgewater State for a MASCAC matchup with the Bears in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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