WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior guard Jill Valley (Orange, Mass. / Mahar Regional) scored a game-high 24 points, including three steals and three assists to lead the Owls to a 90-77 victory in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) match over Framingham State Wednesday evening at the Woodward Center.
The Owls jumped to a 5-0 lead and led by as many as 11 in the first quarter. In the second half, Framingham made several runs at Westfield, but the Owls responded with clutch three-pointers on almost every occasion. Westfield made eleven of 40 3-point attempts in the game.
The Rams cut Westfield's lead to a single point, 44-43 on a Raegen Mulherin (Baldwinville, Mass. / Narragansett Regional) free throw just 1:38 into the second half, but after a technical foul on the Rams' bench, Westfield went on a quick 5-0 run that the owls extended to 9-2 with a three-pointer from graduate forward Ashley Giampetruzzi (Manchester Central/Manchester, NH) that gave the Owls a 52-44 advantage with 6:59 left in the third period.
Framingham chiseled Westfield's lead back down to two points at 57-55 after a Mallory Defeo (Arlington, Mass.) conventional three-point play with 2:39 to play in the third quarter, but the Owls got a layup from Valley and a crucial three-pointer from Susan bell with 1:20 left in the third to open the lead back up to 7, 62-55.
The Rams last chance came in the fourth, cutting the Westfield lead to four, 79-75 with 2:01 to play on a Defeo drive, but Westfield sophomore guard Lucy Barrett nailed a three-pointer on a kick-out from Rebecca Sapouckey (Granby HS/Chicopee, Mass.) that gave Westfield a seven-point cushion, and Sapouckey added a steal and a jumper on the Owls next possession to help salt the game away.
Westfield State's Rebecca Sapouckey added ten points, five rebounds and three steals while Kirsy Segarra (Holyoke, Mass.) chipped in 13 points and three steals. Westfield amassed 17 steals and shot 33.3 percent (31-93). The Owls were 17-20 from the foul line.
Framingham State was paced by senior center Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass. / Agawam) who ended with a team-high 20 points and 15 rebounds. Mulherin ended with 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Rams struggled with the Owls up tempo style, committing 36 turnovers in the game. The Rams made three of eleven 3-point attempts, shot 50 percent (28-56) and outrebounded Westfield, 50-44.
Westfield State improves to 9-6 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. Framingham State falls to 11-3 on the season and 2-1 in the MASCAC.
The Owls host Salem State on January 18th at 7:30 p.m. for their third conference game of the season. Framingham State will travel to MCLA on January 14th at 3:00 p.m.