WESTFIELD, Mass. Š Tournament MVP Derek Yvon (East Longmeadow) poured in 28 points to lead Springfield College to an 81-67 victory over Westfield State College in the Pioneer Valley MenÕs Hoop Classic on Dec. 4.
Springfield improved to 5-1 while Westfield dropped to 1-5.
Yvon, who canned the game-winning free throws in FridayÕs 60-58 victory over Western New England College, scored six straight points in a one-minute span as Springfield built its lead to 12, 79-67, with 45 seconds left in the game. The 6-3 guard-forward also finished with three assists and three steals.
Springfield jumped out to an early 10-2 lead, but Westfield battled back for a lead of 22-20 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. The Pride regained the lead at halftime, 33-30, and never trailed in the second half.
All-Tournament team member Joel Aponte (Windsor, Conn.) had a fine game for Springfield with 18 points. Westfield was led by all-tourney selection Bayete Gordon (Amherst, Mass.) with 19 points and four steals. Senior forward Vaso Jaukovic had 13 points and nine rebounds.
Derek Yvon Š Springfield - Most Valuable Player
Joel Aponte Š Springfield
Andrew Shiel Š Amherst
Bayete Gordon Š Westfield State
Jim Payne - WNEC