FRAMINGHAM. – Senior forward Ashley Finnegan (Worcester/Holy Name) notched her 16th double-double with game-highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds as Westfield State University defeated Framingham State Univefsity, 54-34, in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's basketball action Tuesday, Feb. 15.

The red hot Owls won their ninth straight game to improve to 18-5 overall and 9-1 in the MASCAC. Westfield clinched a share of the MASCAC regular season championship with the defensive road victory and also earned the No. 1 seed in the conference's postseason tournament, The loss drops the Rams to 11-13 overall and 3-8 in the MASCAC. Westfield concludes its regular season with at Worcester State on Thursday and at home on Saturday vs. Fitchburg. Worcester handed Westfield its last and only league loss, 54-51.

Finnegan connected on 6-of-10 from the floor en route to her 14 points; the 6-1 forward has scored in double figures in all 23 games this season and is averaging 15.5 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Sophomore defensive whiz Jenny Bell (Northampton) was the only other player to record double figures with 13 points and she also had a game-high five steals. Sophomore Courtney DelRatez (Adams/Hoosac Valley) chipped in nine points on a trio of three pointers. Senior center Cassy Jouannet (Conway/Frontier Regional) finished with eight points and seven rebounds and junior point guard Janae Jones (Springfield/Minnechaug) had four points, four assists and four steals.

The Rams were led by freshman Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro) who struggled from the floor (3 for 21) and scored a team-high seven points while playing all 40 minutes. Sophomores Kia Minor (Edgartown) and Patrecia Bradshaw (Cambridge) chipped in six points apiece. Junior Emily Clark (Melrose) also picked up six points, five boards and two steals, while Michelle Hagerty (Somerville) grabbed a team-high 10 boards. Westfield held Framingham to 23 percent shooting from the field.

With the Rams leading 9-8 with 11:10 remaining in the first half, the Owls closed the frame on a 20-6 run to take a 28-15 lead into the locker room. Finnegan led Westfield with eight first-half points and nine boards as the Owls outscored the Rams, 16-4, in the paint in the frame. Framingham struggled from the floor in the first 20 minutes shooting just 26% (7-27) to 42% (11-26) for the Owls.

In the second half, the Rams continued to struggle from the floor and the Owls capitalized, extending the lead to as many as 21 before reaching the final margin of 54-34.

The Rams outrebounded the Owls 40-38 in the game including holding an 18-9 advantage on the offensive glass, but the Owls held the advantage in the paint (34-16) and on points off turnovers (22-8).