Owls Stifle AMCATS, 74-57

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Alexa Davis (Springfield, Mass.) scored a team-leading 14 points for Westfield State which used a hot-shooting second quarter to build a double-digit lead then preserved such advantage with defense in the second half in a 74-57 MASCAC victory against Anna Maria College in a road game on Wednesday night.

With the win, the Owls improve to 15-7 overall and sit alone in third place in the MASCAC standings with a 7-4 mark after Worcester State lost to Framingham State 71-53. The AMCATS fall to 8-13 on the season and hold the final spot in the conference tournament in sixth place at 4-7. If the season ended today, the two teams would meet for a third time in the first round of the MASCAC Tournament.

Davis gave Westfield momentum entering the second quarter, as she swished a three-pointer as time expired in the first quarter, putting the Owls in front 17-15.

In the second quarter, the Owls found a spark from beyond the arc, making six of 12 threes with Jailyn Garvin-Martin (Springfield, Mass.) catching fire with three triples as part of an 11-point period for the first-year guard.

The Owls began the second on an 8-0 run with Davis making a layup then nailing a triple on the ensuing possession to push the lead to double digits at 25-15 with 7:44 left in the half.

The lead reached 13 points with 4:14 remaining in the half with Garvin-Martin connecting for three, then an AMCATS turnover resulted in a layup in transition from Sophia DeAngelis (Braintree, Mass.) for a 36-23 lead.

Westfield maintained that lead into the closing minute where a three-pointer by Meaghan Doyle cut the Owls lead to ten at 46-36 entering the break. The Owls outscored Anna Maria 29-21 in the period, the highest scoring quarter for both teams on the night.

In the second half, the Owls defense limited the AMCATS to just 21 points on 21.1 percent shooting from the field (8-38). Anna Maria cut the Owls lead to as low as eight points at the 2:37 mark of the third quarter, but Westfield was able to extend the lead back into double digits before the end of the period with Caroline Galvani (Framingham, Mass.) burying a triple with 51 seconds left for a 60-47 lead after three.

Westfield continued to pressure and get stops in the fourth quarter, holding the AMCATS without a point for a nearly six-minute stretch after Sarah O'Connor's jumper with 8:24 left in the game. Over that span, the Owls scored seven unanswered points to drive the advantage to 18 points, their largest lead of the night, as Kayley Downie's (Easthampton, Mass.) made jump shot with 2:48 to go put the game out of reach.

Westfield had four double figure scorers on the night with Downie and Garvin-Martin both scoring 13 points, each hitting three triples. Galvani added ten points and Tavi Williams (Springfield, Mass.) was the team leader in rebounds (nine) and steals (five).

Arianna Gonzalez stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 16 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Doyle scored 12 points and eight rebounds. O'Connor reached double figures with 11 points.

The Owls knocked down ten of 34 three-pointers and was the 11^th time this season Westfield has made ten or more threes in a game, reaching that figure five times over their last six games. The Owls held the AMCATS to just 25.7 percent shooting for the game and forced 32 turnovers which led to 30 points off turnovers.

Westfield also held their own on the glass, only losing the rebound margin by eight thanks in part to a team effort on the offensive glass with 17.

Westfield State will play the final three games of the regular season at home as the Owls will face the current top team in the MASCAC in Bridgewater State, who has yet to lose a league game, on Saturday at 12:00 P.M. from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.