Women's Basketball Downed by Westfield State 67-50

Westfield, Mass. – Senior forward Ashley Finnegan (Worcester, Mass.) scored a game-high 19 points and senior center Cassy Jouannet (Conway, Mass.) had 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds to lead Westfield State University to a 67-50 victory over Framingham State University on Saturday, Jan. 22.

The Owls improved to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC). Framingham dropped to 9-8 and 1-4.

The game was a defensive struggle until the Owls began pulling away in the final eight minutes by pounding the ball inside to the 6-foot Finnegan and 6-1 Jouannet.

Westfield led by as many as eight points in the first half but the scrappy Rams trailed at halftime, 26-22, and tied the score at 30-all with 14:14 remaining in the game on a 3-point basket by freshman guard Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.), who tallied a team-high 16 points.

But the Owls quickly regained the lead on a 3-point basket by sophomore guard Briana Kelly (Hampden, Mass.).  Westfield led by five, 41-36, when it began pulling away at the eight-minute mark.

Westfield junior guard Janae Jones (Springfield, Mass.) – who played a fine game with four points, seven assists and two turnovers – drained two free throws for a 43-36 Owl lead. Westfield then took its first double-digit lead, 46-36, when Jouannet converted a traditional 3-point play with 7:00 remaining.

Leading 49-40 with 4:33 remaining, Westfield went on an 8-0 run for a commanding 57-40 advantage.

Both teams struggled from 3-point range, but the Owls were near perfect from the foul line, canning 20 of 23 attempts, including 18 of 21 in the second half, while committing only 10 turnovers.

Framingham was only 7 for 18 from the charity stripe, but the Rams were able to stay close for the opening three-quarters of the game by attacking the offensive glass. The Rams held a 46-39 rebounding advantage, including 21 offensive boards.

Junior forward Emily Clark (Melrose, Mass.) was Framingham's only other player in double figures with 12 points. Sophomore standout Kia Minor (Edgartown, Mass.) finished with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Release courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information.