WESTON, Mass. - Freshman guard Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass.) had a game highs of 21 points, seven assist and five steals, along with eight rebounds, to lead the Westfield State University women's basketball team to a 77-54 victory over St. Joseph's (Maine) in the consolation game of the Regis College Tournament.
Westfield is now 3-4 while St. Joseph's moves to 4-3.
Also scoring in double figures were freshman Molly Waitt (15) and junior Courtney Kegresse (13). Freshman center Kelly O'Neill had a game high nine rebounds and four points and reserve center Gabby Felix contributed seven points and eight boards.
The Owls offense looked good in the first half led by the three-point shooting of Kegresse; Westfield was ahead at the break, 36-27.
The second half opened with an offensive push by the Owls that was led by Pride Invitational All-Tournament selection Ashton. She came up big on the defensive side of the ball, causing the Monks into five turnovers and recordoing five steals.
But the Monks did not give up easily and rallied to cut the Owl lead to seven points five minutes into the second period. The comeback was capped by the strong shooting of Ashley Geel, who powered through the low post to hit a jumper to make the score 38-31 in favor of the Owls. The run would be short lived as the Owls connected on eight straight points to go up by as many as 16. The run was capped by two key baskets from senior point guard Janae Jones, who finished with nine points on the day.
The Monks were led on offense by Nicolette Kapothanas, who shot 50 percent from the three-point arc to put up a team high of 12 points. Fellow teammate and Pride Invitational All-Tournament recipient Lindsey Moore chipped in with six rebounds and 10 points.
The Owls will play their next game against Eastern Connecticut State Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. The Monks will play in their next contest against Bridgewater State Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
