Owls Reach Season High in Points in 112-61 Win Over Fitchburg

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State sophomore guard Kayley Downie (Easthampton, Mass.) knocked down six three-pointers as part of a 20-point effort as the Owls defeated Fitchburg State 112-61 in the regular season finale on senior day from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.

The Owls, which clinched the third overall seed in the MASCAC Tournament with the win over Salem on Wednesday, finished the regular season 17-8 overall and 9-5 in the conference. The Falcons finish the season at 4-21 and 2-12 in the MASCAC.

Westfield built a 16-point lead entering the break with Downie drilling five triples to spark the offense. At the conclusion of the half, with the Owls ahead 52-38, Downie ripped the cords on a corner triple, then after a Kyelah Smith layup, Sophia DeAngelis (Braintree, Mass.) found Downie again where she buried a three-pointer from the opposite corner to punctuate a 17-point half and a 56-40 Owls advantage.

Alexis DeSimone posted a half-leading 19 points on an efficient 8-11 shooting. Caroline Galvani (Framingham, Mass.) reached double figures in the first half as well with ten points with four steals.

Eight of the first nine points of the second half went in favor of the Owls with a Galvani layup pushing the lead to 20 points. Westfield held Fitchburg to five points over the first seven minutes of the third quarter, allowing the Owls to extend the lead to 26 points on a layup from Tavi Williams (Springfield, Mass.).

The Owls recorded a new season high in points on the afternoon, reaching triple digits for the first time this season after a layup from Liana Wheelock-Bonet (Vernon, Conn.) with 3:29 in the fourth quarter sent the Owls over the 100-point mark. The 112 points for the Owls are the most points scored since tallying 117 in a matchup with the Falcons last season.

In the first quarter, the Falcons trimmed the Owls lead to four points after a three-pointer from Avery James before Westfield went on an 8-0 run to extend the lead into double digits. Ashley Ames (Valatie, N.Y.) nailed a triple six seconds after the Falcons make, and after two made free throws by Christine Raymond (Easthampton, Mass.), Jailyn Garvin-Martin (Springfield, Mass.) flushed home a wing triple for a 23-11 advantage with 2:10 left in the first.

Fitchburg was able to cut the deficit to six points at the close of the period after a layup from DeSimone, then a nice dish from DeSimone to Malaica Guillaume made it a 26-20 score after one. The Falcons made nine of 14 field goals in the frame but turned it over seven times which resulted in 14 Owls points off turnovers.

Downie knocked down a three and Raymond finished a layup to open the second quarter, pushing the lead back to 11 points with 8:59 to go in the half. Later in the quarter, Morgan Berthiaume (Webster, Mass.) intercepted a pass and found Downie for her third three of the half, then Garvin-Martin stole the ensuing inbound which resulted in free throws for Alexa Davis (Springfield, Mass.). Fitchburg missed on the other end leading to a layup from Davis, capping a 14-3 run over the opening three minutes of the period and a 40-23 Owls advantage.

The Owls had four double figure scorers. Downie led the charge with 20 followed by Galvani with 15, Davis with 14, and Raymond with a career-high 13 points and eight rebounds. 14 different Owls collected points on the day.

DiSimone recorded a game-leading 21 points and Kaelynn Tanner added 16 points and seven rebounds. Smith grabbed ten boards, six assists, and chipped in six points.

Prior to the start of the game, Westfield State athletics honored seniors' Morgan Berthiaume and Tavi Williams. Both seniors contributed to the team's success outside of scoring with Williams pulling down 17 rebounds, her second most in a game this season, while Berthiaume racked up eight assists, tying her career high mark.

Westfield State will enter the MASCAC Tournament as the third seed and will host a conference quarterfinal game on WEDNESDAY night at 7:00 P.M. against sixth-seeded Anna Maria College from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.