WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior forward Grant Cooper (Northampton) notched a rare triple-double (11 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) and senior center Carl Stewart (Springfield) had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Westfield State University to an easy 86-52 victory over Fitchburg State University on Saturday, Feb. 22.

Westfield, 15-10 overall, finishes the regular season in a three-way tie for second place in the highly competitive Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) with an 8-4 record.

Bridgewater State and Worcester State also own 8-4 records while Salem captured the regular season crown at 9-3. The Owls, who sustained two of their losses to Worcester, are the No. 4 seed for the MASCAC postseason tournament and will host Western Mass. rival MCLA on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 7:00 p.m.

Fitchburg State (2-22 overall, 2-10 MASCAC) was the 2013 MASCAC Tournament champion but the Falcons finished in last place this season and failed to qualify for postseason play.

Cooper, a leading candidate for MASAC player of the year, exited the game with seven minutes remaining as he posted his triple-double in 30 minutes of action. The electric 6-3 forward also had two blocks and two steals.

Stewart, the only Westfield State senior, posted his double-double in 18 minutes of action, while junior forward Dan Johnson (Belchertown) was 5 for 7 from 3-point range and tied for game-high scoring honors with 16 points.

All 10 players scored for the Owls, including sophomore reserve forward Tchuijo Nkamebo (Amherst) with 10 points. Starting junior swingman Dan Tessier continued his solid play with eight points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Owls put together two incredible scoring runs to clip the Falcons. Leading 23-15, Westfield outscored Fitchburg 23-4 in the final 8:21 of the first half for an insurmountable 46-19 lead.

Westfield then went on a 22-4 scoring surge in the opening eight minutes of the second half for its biggest lead of the game, 68-23.

Standout senior guard Mike Ingram-Rubin was the only Fitchburg player in double figures with 16 points. Senior forward Mo Molin had nine points and nine rebounds.