Women's Basketball Dispatches Westfield State to Advance to MASCAC Tournament Final
Westfield, Mass. – The Framingham State University women's basketball team received a game-high 20 points from senior guard Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) as the third seeded Rams defeated second seed Westfield State University 62-53 this evening in one semifinal match-up of the 2014 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.
The Rams (17-10) advance to the MASCAC Tournament final for the first time since the 2001 season and for just the second time in program history. The Rams travel to top seed Bridgewater State University on Saturday, March 1st for a 1 p.m. clash. The Bears defeated fourth seed Salem State 88-62 earlier this evening to advance to the final.
Hoffman led a trio of Rams in double figures as she connected on 6-of-11 from the field and filled her stat line with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Junior Margo McCarthy (Southampton, Mass.) chipped in with 13 points including some key buckets down the stretch as the Rams took control of the game. Freshman forward Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) racked up a double double with 12 points and a team-high 14 rebounds including 11 on the defensive glass. Rackliffe connected on 6-of-10 from the floor and picked up three blocks and two steals.
The Owls (15-11) were led by a double double from forward Forbasaw Nkamebo. Nkamebo grabbed a game-best 15 rebounds including eight on the offensive end to go along with 15 points on 7-of-14 from the floor. Senior guard Jen Ashton struggled from the floor but scored 15 to go along with five assists and six steals, while Tayler Travis also recorded double figures with 10 points and six boards.
Both team struggled from the floor in the first half with the Rams shooting 36% and the Owls connecting on just 29%, but the Owls held a one point edge at the break (27-26).
The Owls took a 35-31 lead on a Travis layup with 14:26 left in the game, but the Rams countered with a three from Hoffman and McCarthy jumper to take the lead for good (36-35). The Rams followed with a 9-2 run including four points from McCarthy to open up a 45-37 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.
A run by the Owls cut the Rams lead down to three (48-45) on a Kirsy Segarra jumper with 4:50 on the clock, but a Rackliffe layup and a pair of Hoffman free throws extended the lead back to six. The Owls pulled back within four on a Nkamebo bucket in the paint with 28 seconds remaining, but Rams made 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch to secure the victory.