Owls Comeback Attempt Falls Short at Bridgewater

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Kayley Downie (Easthampton, Mass.) and Sophia Rockwood (Windsor, Vt.) both scored 12 points for Westfield State whose comeback attempt came up short at Bridgewater State 73-66 in a MASCAC matchup from the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater, Mass. on Wednesday night.

The Owls drop to 3-2 in the MASCAC and 11-5 overall after the loss while the Bears remain unbeaten in league play, improving to 5-0 in the conference and 6-9 on the season.

The Owls quickly fell behind by double digits, trailing by 11 points after the first quarter. The main culprit for the early deficit was the inability for Westfield to secure defensive rebounds as the Bears pulled down ten offensive rebounds compared to just three defensive boards for the Owls in the opening frame.

In the second quarter, Westfield adjusted and held Bridgewater to one shot per possession while forcing eight turnovers in the period as the Owls defense propelled them back into the game. Westfield held Bridgewater scoreless for over seven minutes of game action as three of the Bears four made baskets in the quarter came in the first 2:06 of the period.

Trailing by 15, the Owls walked down the lead beginning with a layup from Cameron Bradford (Hanover, Mass.) followed by a steal and score by Rockwood, trimming the deficit to 11 points. Later in the half, Alexa Davis (Springfield, Mass.) knocked down the first of three triples for the Owls in the period to make it a ten-point game.

Tavi Williams (Springfield, Mass.) made two free throws to cut the lead into single digits with 6:30 left in the half. Williams was all over the court for the Owls on the night, battling inside to record a team-high nine rebounds while adding five steals and eight points.

Westfield would also fall into a five-minute scoring drought of their own with Davis pulling the Owls out of the funk with her second three of the night, then on the next possession, Jailyn Garvin-Martin (Springfield, Mass.) nailed a three-pointer, cutting the Bears lead down to two points (29-27) with 58 seconds left in the half.

Reese Bartlett broke the seven-minute scoreless time with a layup before Mya Silveira (North Smithfield, R.I.) answered with a baseline jumper just before time expired, capping an extended 13-2 run over the final 7:54 of the second quarter.

Westfield never led in the game but were on the cusp of taking a lead several times in the third quarter, the first coming on a Downie three to trail by one point before Haley Burchhardt cleaned up an offensive rebound and scored. Later in the quarter, a Williams layup made it a one-point deficit again, but the Bears would stretch the lead to six points after three quarters after two made free throws from Bartlett.

Bridgewater began the final period on an 8-3 run with a triple from Sophia Bradbury pushing the lead back into double figures at 55-44 with 5:31 remaining.

Trailing by 13 points with 3:12 left, the Owls would not go away quietly. Williams stuck a three-pointer, then Rockwood hit a triple on the next possession. Davis and Downie combined for a pair of layups to cut the Bears advantage to seven points, 66-59 with 1:51 to play.

The Owls had chances to make it a two-possession game, but failed to convert, allowing the Bears to seal the victory at the free throw line.

Westfield lost the rebounding battle by wide margin with Bridgewater piling up 59 rebounds to the Owls 38. Three different Bears players eclipsed double digit rebound numbers. Emilie von der Linden, a 6-3 center, led both sides with 18 points and 15 rebounds with six coming on the offensive end. Burchhardt also earned a double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds, while Bradbury logged 11 rebounds to go along with eight points and six assists.

Rockwood, Downie, and Davis all finished in double figures. Morgan Berthiaume (Webster, Mass.) recorded a game-leading six steals.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well from beyond the arc with the Owls connecting on nine of 35 threes (25.7 percent) and the Bears making five of 25 triples (20.0 percent). Westfield did generate 27 Bears turnovers but only turned that into 17 points off turnovers.

Westfield State will remain in conference play for another road matchup on Saturday against Salem State at 12:00 P.M.