WESTFIELD, Mass.  –  Senior guard Andre King (Suffield Academy/Springfield, Mass.) scored 23 points grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists to lead Westfield State to a 101-81 win over Worcester State University in a MASCAC game at the Woodward Center on Saturday afternoon.

Westfield improves to 16-6 overall and 9-1 in the MASCAC. The Owls hold a 1-game lead over Bridgewater State in the league standings with two conference game remaining.

Worcester falls to 5-18 and 2-8 in the league.

In a see-saw first half, Worcester managed to lead by as many as six points, 25-19, on a Charles Gunter (New Mission/Boston, Mass.) free throw with 9:18 left in the half, but Westfield closed with a rush, scoring six points in the final 1:05 of the first half to lead 52-45 at the intermission.

Westfield led by as many as 12, 61-49 on a King three pointer with 17:19 left in the game, but Worcester hung tough, tying the game at 71-all on a pair of Ryan Dibernardo free throws with 9:35 to play.

Tied at 73-all, Westfield got a dagger three-pointer from King with 8:35 left to break the tie. King's three launched the Owls on a 10-0 run, and King extended that spurt to 89-75 with yet another King trifecta with 4:35 to play off a steal and feed from Grant Cooper (Northampton/Northampton, Mass.). 

Westfield finished with five players in double figures. King shot 5-7 from three-point range, and 6-6 from the line in producing a game high 23.   Cooper added 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Dan Tessier (Uxbridge/Uxbridge, Mass.) added 13, Jesus Sanchez (Holderness/Springfield, Mass.) 12 points and six assists, and Jose Allen (Amherst/Amherst, Mass.) netted 11.

Westfield scored 100 points in a game for the first time since a 118-70 win over Paul Smith's (NY) College on November 15, 2008.

Worcester State was led by 19 from Paul Brooks (Putnam Science Adademy/Arlington, Mass.). Gunter finished with 18 points and six rebounds, Brendan Rios (Easthampton/Easthampton, Mass.) added 15 and Marquez McKreith-Collins (Cathedral/Springfield, Mass.) 11.

Westfield will host MCLA on Tuesday at 7:30 in the Owls final regular-season home game and senior night.  Worcester State will host Fitchburg State on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.