BOSTON, Mass. – Led by sophomore center Kirsten Morrison (North Reading, Mass.) women's basketball closed out their 2012 home schedule with a hard fought 55-51 win over Westfield State University to continue one of the best starts in the program's history as they improved to 7-2 on the year Tuesday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center Gym.

Morrison finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds to give the Beacons a two-game win streak going into the holiday break.  On the night the 6'2" North Reading native was 10-for-16 from the floor and also had two blocks and one steal.

Her basket in the final seconds of regulation pushed UMB's lead back to four making it perhaps her biggest field goal of the night.  With Westfield right on the Beacons heals and only trailing by two, the Owls quickly fouled Morrison on the in-bound pass with less than seven seconds to play.

The reigning LEC and D3Hoops.com Northeast Region Rookie of the Year went to the line for her 1-and-1.  She would throw up the first shot, which ended-up hitting off the back of the iron.  The ball would then bounce back into play with Morrison collecting the offensive board over four Owls players.  She then drove to the hoop to put-up her final basket of the night, which secured the Beacons non-conference victory.

Westfield State (5-4) saw Jen Ashton finish with a team-best 16 points, while Gabby Felix dropped in 11 for the Owls.  UMass Boston freshman forward Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) was once again dominant on the glass collecting a game-high 13 boards, while senior forward Teresa Pina (Boston, Mass.) finished second on the team with 11 points and third in rebounds with eight.

Sophomore guard Lauren Perra (Taunton, Mass.) drained a game-high three 3-pointers to finish with nine points in the victory.  The Taunton native also had five assists and one steal.

As a team the Beacons closed out the night shooting 37.5% from the floor (24-for-64), while Westfield ended the night shooting 33.3% (19-for-57).  On the glass UMB dominated the contest from start to finish as they out-rebounded the Owls 50-32, with 22 of those boards coming on the offensive side of the court.

Women's Basketball returns to action on December 30 when they take part in the Key Largo Classic in Key Largo, Florida.  In game one of the two-day tournament the Beacons will face Maine Maritime Academy at 4 p.m.