Westfield (7-5) will play in the Jan. 4 consolation game that has been rescheduled for 4:00 p.m. Eastern Connecticut improved its record to 4-5.
The Owls jumped out to an early 12-4 lead then had difficulty putting the ball in the basket. Westfield only shot 22 percent in the first half as Eastern Connecticut, which went on a 17-0 run after the early deficit, took a 36-24 halftime lead.
The Warriors led by as many as 14 points in the second half before the Owls mounted a comeback. Westfield closed to within four points, 50-46 with 6:30 remaining, but Eastern Connecticut went on an 8-0 run to take a 58-46 lead with 3:11 remaining.
The Owls did cut the lead to six, 60-54, with 1:27 remaining, but the Warriors made six straight free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Curtis Gadles led Westfield in scoring with 12 points. Freshman Matt Badjo came off the bench to score 10 points, all in the second half. Senior forward James Ogbunize finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
The Owls did not get any bench scoring in the first half but their reserves scored 25 of their 35 second-half points.
For the game, Eastern shot 43 percent from the field, including 5 of 16 from 3-point range.
Westfield shot 34 percent from the field and was
only 1 of 13 from beyond the arc. The Owls came into the game averaging nearly seven 3-point baskets made per game.