Courtesy Westfield State Sports Information

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Juniors Asa Abbott (New Paltz, N.Y.) and Brandon Mauer (Pittsfield) scored 22 and 20 points, respectively, to lead Westfield State to a 91-86 victory over Fitchburg State in the quarterfinals of the Mass. State Conference (MASCAC) postseason tournament.

Westfield, 18-8 overall and the No. 3 seed, plays at No. 2 Bridgewater State in the semifinals on Thursday at 7:00. Fitchburg finishes 8-16.

Westfield hosted Fitchburg last Saturday and posted a 75-59 triumph in the regular season finale. The tournament game was much more competitive; there were 19 lead changes before the Owls began pulling away midway thru the second half.

The long-range 3-point shooting of Abbott (3-for-7 from beyond the arc), Mauer (4-for-5) and junior guard Kevin Knowles of Freetown (2-for-3) sparked the Owls.

The Owls finished 10-for-19 from international waters and also shot well from the free throw line (21-for-32, including 19-for-25 in the second half).

With Mauer, Knowles and Abbott dropping 3-balls from close to NBA range, Westfield took its biggest lead, 75-60, with 7:52 remaining.

Fitchburg had led by a point, 50-49, at the 15:43 mark, then Westfield outscored the visitors, 26-10 over the next eight minutes.

The Owls made 14 free throws in the final 3:21 to hold off the pesky Falcons.

Fitchburg senior guard Brian Torres (North Dighton) pumped in a game-high 30 points in his final collegiate contest. Junior center Tim Graham (Arlington) added 18 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

The Falcons were 8-for-22 from 3-point range and made 14 of 15 free throws. They shot 44 percent from the field while the Owls shot 52 percent.

Westfield senior Dave Jaehnig (Quincy) compiled 10 points and team highs of nine rebounds, six assists and three.

The winner of Thursday's Westfield-Bridgewater semi-final contest advances to the 2009 MASCAC Championship game that will be played at the highest remaining seed beginning at either 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.

Courtesy Framingham State Sports Information

Framingham, MA - The fourth seeded Framingham State College men's basketball team had four players record double figures as they defeated the fifth seeded Worcester State Lancers 90-77 in the quarterfinals of the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball tournament tonight at Framingham's Athletic Center. With the win, Framingham State (15-11) advances to the semifinals of the tournament on Thursday night at top seed Salem State at 7 p.m., while the Lancers finish the season at 12-14.

The Rams were led by junior forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, MA), who picked up his 12th double double of the season with a game-high 26 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Classmates Chad Dixon (Brockton, MA) chipped in 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and Roderick Jackson (Cambridge, MA) added 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Despite struggling from the field, junior guard Bill Carey (Abington, MA) added 17 points including 4-of-11 from behind the arc to go along with four rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Despite being injured early in the second half, junior forward Maurice Horton (Detroit, MI) led the Lancers with a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Jaamal Ford (Worcester, MA) added 15 points including seven of ten from the free throw line, while sophomore forward Dave Douillette (Bridgewater, MA) chipped in 10 points.

With the Lancers holding their largest lead of the night at 25-14 with 9:32 remaining in the first half, the Rams used a 17-4 run over the next six minutes to take the lead for good. The run was capped by a three point play from Dixon that gave the Rams a 31-29 lead. The Rams, who connected on 6-of-13 from behind the arc in the first half, would take a 41-37 lead into the break.

The Rams maintained a double digit lead and would extend it to as many as 18 with 6:50 remaining in the second half and as Almodovar and Jackson combined for 33 second half points. The Lancers were able to chip away at the Rams lead and cut it to 11 on a three pointer from sophomore Ryan Testagrossa with just over a minute to play, but that was as close as they would get as the Rams hit their free throws down the stretch.

The winner of Thursday's Fitchburg-Salem semi-final contest advances to the 2009 MASCAC Championship game that will be played at the highest remaining seed beginning at either 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.