WESTFIELD, Mass. – Freshman guard Jen Ashton (Beverly) had game highs of 29 points, nine steals and seven assists, along with a team-high six rebounds, and junior reserve guard Angela Paterson (Nantucket) dropped in 20 points to power Westfield State University to an 84-66 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference victory on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
 
The Owls, who bolted to a 46-23 halftime lead, improved to 9-10 overall and 2-4 in the conference. The Falcons, who won their first 11 games, are 14-4 and 2-4.
 
"The game went well; it was helpful to shoot well and we played much better defensively," said Westfield coach Andrea Bertini.
 
The Owls led from the start but broke open the game in the final 12 minutes of the first half. Leading 13-11 at the 12:06 mark, Westfield went on a scoring spree led by Ashton and 3-point shooting specialists Paterson and junior guard Courtney Kegresse (Adams/Hoosac Valley).
 
Ashton already had put up a final game line total at the end of the first half with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and seven steals. Paterson was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc while Kegresse canned 3 of 7 treys. Paterson finished the game 5-for-7 in 3-point attempts while Kegresse was 4-for-10.
 
"Jen played well but not just Jen. The upperclassmen really stepped it up," said Bertini.
 
"Fitchburg is known for their zone so we just swung the ball to get the open shots…" said Ashton.
 
"I felt like everything just fell in, especially in the second half," Ashton added.
 
Westfield continued its stellar offensive and defensive play at the outset of the second half, leading by as many at 32 points, 63-31, with 14:30 remaining.
 
The Owls played a stifling defense for most of the opening 30 minutes, forcing 32 Fitchburg turnovers while registering 20 steals.
 
"We emphasized defense pressure in practice and it was good to force turnovers," said Westfield senior guard Janae Jones (Springfield/Minnechaug).
 
Jones also played well offensively though she did not score. The 4-11 point guard dished out 12 assists, one shy of the school record.
 
"I was trying to create for myself but when that didn't work I tried to put the ball into the hands of my teammates and they did of good job of cutting and getting open," said Jones.
 
The Falcons ended up outscoring the Owls, 43-38, in the second half mainly because of their effort form the foul line. Fitchburg finished 28 for 32 from the charity stripe, including 21-for-24 in the second half.
 
"We need to work on keeping teams off the foul line and continue to get better defensively." said Bertini.
 
The Owls were only 7 for 16 from the foul line but they shot 46 percent from the field, including 11-for-38 from 3-point land. Kegresse tallied 14 points and junior guard Jenny Bell (Northampton) added 10 points and five steals.
 
Sophomore forward Amy Fahey (Wilmington) led Fitchburg with 21 points and sophomore guard Laura Cote (Ashby) had 18 markers. Senior forward Rebecca Goreham (Quincy) grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.