Women’s Basketball Falls at Westfield State
Westfield, Mass. – Westfield State senior guard Jill Valley (Orange, Mass.) scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Owls to a 90-77 victory over Framingham State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) match Wednesday evening at the Woodward Center.
The Owls jumped to a 5-0 lead and led by as many as 11 in the first quarter. In the second half, Framingham made several runs at Westfield, but the Owls responded with clutch three-pointers on several occasions. Westfield made 11- of-40 3-point attempts in the game.
The Rams cut Westfield's lead to a single point, 44-43 on a Raegan Mulherin (Baldwinville, Mass.) free throw just 1:38 into the second half. After a technical foul on the Rams' bench, Westfield went on a quick 5-0 run that the owls extended to 9-2 with a three-pointer from graduate forward Ashley Giampetruzzi (Manchester Central) that gave the Owls a 52-44 advantage with 6:59 left in the third period.
Framingham chiseled Westfield's lead back down to two points at 57-55 after a Mallory DeFeo (Arlington, Mass.) conventional three-point play with 2:39 to play in the third quarter. The Owls countered with a layup from Valley and a crucial three-pointer from Susan Bell with 1:20 left in the third to open the lead back up to 7, 62-55.
The Rams last chance came in the fourth, cutting the Westfield lead to four, 79-75 with 2:01 to play on a DeFeo drive, but Westfield sophomore guard Lucy Barrett nailed a three-pointer on a kick-out from Rebecca Sapouckey (Granby HS) that gave Westfield a seven-point cushion. On the next possession Sapouckey added a steal and a jumper to help salt the game away.
Westfield State's Rebecca Sapouckey added ten points, five rebounds and three steals, while Kirsy Segarra (Holyoke, Mass.) chipped in 13 points and three steals. Westfield amassed 17 steals and shot 33.3 percent (31-for-93). The Owls were 17-for-20 from the foul line.
Framingham State was paced by senior center Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) who ended with a team-high 20 points and 15 rebounds. Mulherin ended with 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Rams committed 36 turnovers in the game.
The Rams made were 3-for-11 from 3-point range and shot 50 percent (28-for-56) and outrebounded Westfield, 50-44.
Westfield State improves to 9-6 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. Framingham State falls to 11-3 on the season and 2-1 in the MASCAC.
The Owls host Salem State on January 18th at 7:30 p.m. for their third conference game of the season. Framingham State will travel to MCLA on January 14th at 3:00 p.m.
*Release courtesy of Westfield sports information