Point guard will be test for Jaguars

For the past three weeks, Augusta State has put more of an emphasis on defense. The fourth-ranked Jaguars know exactly who to stop Wednesday.

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Associated Press

Bentley's Jason Westrol (left) is an All-American who leads his team in points, assists and steals.

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When Augusta State faces Bentley at 8:30 p.m. in the Elite Eight, the Falcons' offense will be front and center with All-American point guard Jason Westrol.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Westrol was named the Division II Player of the Year on Monday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He scored 33 points to reach the 2,000-point career milestone in the Falcons' win over Philadelphia in the East Regional championship game -- including 15 points in a row to start the second half.

"He's very strong, powerful, explosive," Bentley coach Jay Lawson said. "He's a tough matchup for a lot of people."

Westrol leads the Falcons in scoring (21.2), assists (3.9) and steals (72) and is second in rebounding (5.3). He shoots 48 percent from the field, including 30 percent from the perimeter.

Augusta State coach Dip Metress said Westrol likes to break down defenders just outside the arc.

"Westrol really likes to drive it," said Metress, who plans to put forward Fred Brathwaite on Westrol.

Westrol, who has scored 21 or more points in each of the past eight games, has shouldered more of the offensive burden since junior guard Tom Dowling broke his foot in early February. Dowling, the team's third-leading scorer (10.8), tried to come back for the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament but played just four painful minutes. With his absence, the Falcons closed the regular season with a pair of defeats before losing to Massachusetts-Lowell in the league tournament.

"That caused us to struggle some," Lawson said. "Sometimes it takes a while to figure some things out."

After 12 days to prepare for the East Regional, Bentley knocked off Bridgeport by 10, defeated conference foe Merrimack by four and bested Philadelphia by 12.

"We needed some momentum," Lawson said. "We needed a win in the regional to get us going."

Bentley (25-6) is making its third trip to the Elite Eight in four years. Lawson said that experience is nullified because Augusta State has four starters with Elite Eight experience.

"You can just throw that out the window," he said.

Augusta State has a size advantage over Bentley inside the paint with center Alex Smith (6-5, 245), forward Greg Hire (6-7, 225) and Brathwaite (6-4, 210). Falcons forward Brian Tracey (6-5, 205) averages 14.4 points and 8.8 boards a game, while forward Joe Fremeau (6-6, 205) averages 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds.

Though Fremeau and Tracey each shoot 44 percent from the field, they will have to contend with Smith, who averages 14.5 points a game on 61 percent shooting.

"We're going to try to get it inside," said Metress, whose team is shooting 50 percent from the field. "We're going to try to get it to the rim."