BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Sophomore guard Jill Valley (Orange, Mass.) scored 20 points off the bench to lead the visiting Westfield State University women's basketball team to a 56-49 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Bridgewater State University on Tuesday evening at the Tinsley Center.
The Owls improve to 16-4 on the season with their tenth straight win and remain unbeaten in conference play with an 8-0 MASCAC mark. Westfield has a two-game lead in the standings with four conference games remaining. With the loss, the Bears fall to 12-8 overall and 6-2 in the MASCAC.
Valley connected on 5 of 11 field goal attempts and was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line.
Senior guard Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass.) added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Owls, while junior center Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst, Mass.) posted a double-double with ten points and ten boards.
BSU senior forward Megan Boutilette (Charlton, Mass.) notched her sixth double-double of the season to pace the hosts. Boutilette recorded 14 points and ten rebounds to go along with two assists, a blocked shot and three steals. Junior guard Vanesa Conceicao (New Bedford, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points as she was the only other Bears in double-figure scoring.
Both teams struggled with their shooting as the Owls shot just 33% (18-54) from the floor, while the Bears connected on 36% (21-58) of their field goal attempts. Westfield had a huge advantage at the free throw line, outscoring the Bears, 19-4, from the charity stripe.
The first half was closely contested with neither team holding a lead of any significance as there were four ties and five lead changes. The Bears held a 12-7 advantage following aRachel Kusz (Worcester, Mass.) three-pointer a little more than six minutes into the period. The Owls biggest lead came less than a minute into the game as Ashton opened the scoring with a trifecta. A driving lay-up by Boutilette followed by a Chanelle Melton (Brockton, Mass.) jumper in the final minute closed out the opening stanza as the Bears led 26-24 at the break.
Conceicao paced the BSU with seven points over the first twenty minutes while Boutilette added six. Ashton led the Owls with seven points in the opening period while Valley tallied six.
The teams went back-and-forth in the second half as well as there were three ties and five lead changes. Down 42-38, a Kusz three-pointer followed by a short base line jumper by freshman center Christina Jaros (Plymouth, Mass.) put the Bears back on top 43-42 with under six minutes remaining. Ashton tied the score on the Owls' ensuing possession when she made 1 of 2 free throws.
After a stop, Ashton converted an easy lay-up to put Westfield up, 45-43 with under five minutes left to play. A pair of free throws by Valley was answered by a Boutilette lay-up at the 4:16 mark. Following a turnover, the Bears had two opportunities to tie the game or take the lead but were unable to convert. Nkamebo then grabbed a big offensive rebound and laid it back in to give the Owls a four-point advantage.
After a missed front end of a one-on-one, the Bears got a big defensive stop but were unable to capitalize as a three-pointer was off the mark. Valley then connected for two more free throws with exactly two minutes remaining to give Westfield a 51-45 lead. Boutilette knocked down a jumper to make it a four-point game, but Valley answered with a driving lay-up. Conceicao converted a pair of free throws with 47.8 seconds left to pull the Bears to within four.
Out of a BSU timeout, Valley got behind the defense on a long inbounds pass, missed the breakaway layup but was fouled on the rebound. She promptly sank both free throws to give Westfield the 55-49 lead. Ashton would add a free throw with 26 second left to account for the final score.
In upcoming action, the Bears travel to Framingham State University on Saturday afternoon for a one o'clock MASCAC tilt with the Rams, while the Owls entertain non-conference foe Western New England University on Thursday evening at 5:30.
Notes: With her 14 points, Boutilette moved into eighth place on the Bears' all-time scoring list as she now has 1,096 points in her career.