MASCAC Tournament Semifinal
FITCHBURG, Mass. - Westfield State College, seeded third in the MASCAC Tournament, went on a 20-0 run in the second half to defeat Fitchburg 65-46 Thursday night in the semifinals of the MASCAC men's basketball Tournament at Fitchburg State' Recreation Center.
The Owls (19-8) advance to the MASCAC final to face top-seeded Salem State College in Salem Saturday (1:00 pm). The Vikings defeated No. 5 Bridgewater State, 81-49, in the other semifinal matchup. The Owls defeated Salem twice during the regular season, 77-74 at home on January 22 and 83-82 in overtime at Salem State on February 12. FSC ends its season at 18-8 and will await a possible ECAC Tournament bid.
The Falcons owned a 30-29 halftime advantage on the strength of Peter Uzoma (Boston, MA) and Tim Graham's (Arlington, MA), who combined for 21 of the hosts' 30 first-half points. Uzoma has a halftime-best 11 points and nine rebounds (4 offensive) while Graham put home 10 of his 12 points in the first 20 minutes. Uzoma would finish with a double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds).
However, Westfield went on a 20-0 run that began with 18:25 on the clock and finished with 10:37 remaining in regulation with the visitors owning a commanding 51-32 cushion. Ryan Mauer (Pittsfield, MA) put home seven points, including a three-pointer in the run to go along with three rebounds and three steals during the outburst. Mauer finished with a team-high 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals.
The Owls outscored FSC 36-16 in the final 20 minutes of regulation and owned a 39-34 edge on the glass. The visitors also shot 47.3 percent in the game, including 53.6 percent in the second half to Fitchburg's 32.0 percent from the floor (20.0 percent in the second half). Freshman Brandon Mauer (Pittsfield, MA) added 15 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes of action off the bench for Westfield while Drew Periera (Seekonk, MA) chipped in 12 points and six rebounds and Matt Badjo (Worcester, MA) contributed 10 points and nine rebounds for the Owls. Fitchburg's State Brian Torres (North Dighton, MA) added seven points and six rebounds in the loss.
