Women’s Basketball Edged by Westfield State, 66-65

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Owls of Westfield State remain unbeaten in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play this season, as they edged the Lancers of Worcester State 66-65 with a pair of late free throws in a Thursday evening contest.

THE BASICS

January 25, 2018

Woodward Center

Score: Westfield State 66, Worcester State 65

Records: Westfield State (12-6, 6-0 MASCAC) | Worcester State (9-9, 3-3 MASCAC)

1^ST QUARTER

After trading points for the majority of the first half, Worcester State's Emily Carens (Northborough, Mass,) made a layup to conclude the quarter, giving the Blue and Gold a slim 19-16 lead heading into the second quarter.

2^ND QUARTER

Worcester State powered through in the second quarter and quickly attained an 11-point lead as the team went on an 8-0 run. Westfield State kept fighting back but the Lancers held the lead throughout the stanza and went into the half ahead, 39-32.

3^RD QUARTER

Westfield State chipped away at the Lancers lead and got within one with 3:36 on the clock in the third quarter on an Ashley Lane (Warrenton, Vt.) layup. Moments later the Owls' Alyssa Darling (Palmer, Mass.) made a crossover, step-back jumper to tie the score at 46-46. Worcester State took back the lead for a brief moment until there was another tie at 47-all, and then Kiera McCarthy (Ludlow, Mass.) made a pair of free throws for the Owls lead. Worcester State took back the lead at the end of the quarter and led by four following a shot from Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) and a banked-in three pointer from the right hash mark as time expired from Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.).

4^TH QUARTER

The Owls responded with the first five points of the fourth quarter on a jumper, and an old-fashioned three-point play to give them a 53-52 lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Worcester took a 65-63 lead with 3:22 to play on a layup from Herring. Westfield trimmed the lead to 65-64 when Moussette hit 1-of-2 free throws with 2:55 to play.  Both teams went into a scoring funk, with the Owls finally gaining the lead when Rebecca Sapouckey (Chicopee, Mass.) was fouled on a post move inside with 10.9 seconds left to provide the winning margin.   Worcester's Kate Suprenant (Pelham, N.H.) launched a jumper as time expired which would not connect, and the Owls escaped with the win and it's perfect record in league play intact. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Westfield was led by 13 points from Moussette, who was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 from three, and got 11 points from Lucy Barrett (Williamstown, Mass.) and 10 from McCarthy.
• Sapouckey added nine points and five rebounds along with four steals, doing her best work in the decisive fourth quarter.
• For Worcester, Herring led with 18 points and eight rebounds, Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) added 17 points and seven rebounds, and
• Sweeney narrowly missed a triple-double with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
• Westfield finished 23-for-69 from the floor, but just 5-for-23 (22 %) from three-point range.  
• Worcester, which slowed an Owls' offense which was averaging 95 points per game in league play, shot 50 percent from the floor, and scored 46 points in the paint.  
• Westfield forced the Lancers into 25 turnovers, while the Owls committed just 10.
• The game saw 10 ties and 13 lead changes. Worcester State's largest lead was 11, while the Owls' was five in the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Westfield State will be back in action on Saturday, hosting MCLA at 1:00 p.m. at the Woodward Center. Worcester travels to Salem State on Saturday.

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Release Courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information