WESTFIELD, Mass. (November 13, 2015) - The Westfield State University men's basketball team used an 11-2 run late in the second half to pull away from Western New England University on its way to an eventual 71-55 win this evening in the first round of the Rick Martin - Holiday Inn Tip-Off Tournament at the Woodward Center.

Western New England (0-1, 0-0 CCC) will take on Eastern Connecticut State University in the consolation game tomorrow at 1 p.m., while Westfield State (1-0, MASCAC) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute will meet in the championship at 3 p.m.

Despite the setback, freshman guard Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) shined for the Golden Bears in his collegiate debut, recording a team-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting to go with five rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Senior guard Luis Agrait (South Hadley, Mass.) also had a solid night with nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, while senior center Zack Askew (Middletown, Conn.) added six points and classmate Don Stephens (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished with five points and three rebounds.

Junior guard Jesus Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) led the way for the Owls, pouring in a career-high 25 points to go with six rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes. Classmate Jose Allen (Amherst, Mass.) was also in double figures with 14 points and five rebounds, while junior forward Shane Pasquantonio (Ashland, Mass.) chipped in with four points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Western New England was hampered by its .321 shooting percentage (18-of-56), connecting on just four of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. The Golden Bears did have success getting to the free throw line, converting 14-of-18 (77.8%) attempts in the second half and 71.4%
Western New England, which trailed by eight after 20 minutes, took its first lead of the second half (40-39) at the 12:06 mark on a pair of free throws by senior center Nathaniel Martin (Orange, Mass.). That lead would be short lived, however, as Westfield sophomore Austin Joseph (Rockland, Mass.) hit a three-pointer 21 seconds later to give the Owls a lead they would not relinquish.

The Golden Bears kept the score close, pulling back to within one (48-47) following a layup by Askew with 8:19 remaining, but Westfield answered with a decisive 11-2 run to open up a ten-point lead (59-49) with 3:37 on the clock. The Owls continued to pull away late, scoring ten of the final 12 points of the contest.

Western New England led 12-11 at the 10:51 mark of the first half following a layup by Stephens, but Westfield outscore the Golden Bears 21-12 the rest of the way en route to a 32-24 advantage at halftime.