Westfield State celebrates its third MASCAC title in program history. (Photo courtesy of WSU)
WESTFIELD – After winning the regular season league title last year but losing in the MASCAC championship, Westfield State senior Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst, Mass.) was determined not to let her senior season end the same way.
Nkamebo scored a team-high 19 points and pulled down 9 rebounds, earning MVP honors and leading the top-seeded Owls to a 92-86 victory over No. 2 Framingham State in the MASCAC championship Saturday afternoon at the Woodward Center.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Nkamebo said. “I really wanted to leave with a bang and win it with my team and this was the last time I could. We were so close last year and I just remembered that feeling and didn’t want to lose again.”
Last year, the Owls finished undefeated in conference play before falling to Bridgewater State in the league championship.
With the win, Westfield improves to 20-7 and earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Owls won the MASCAC postseason title for just the third time in program history, and will make their second NCAA Tournament appearance.
MASCAC Player of the Year Jill Valley (Orange, Mass.) added 18 points, 7 steals, and 5 assists. She made just 4-of-18 shots, but drilled two huge three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Westfield put the game away.
Trailing 73-71 with 6:20 remaining, Valley nailed her first three-pointer of the game to retake the lead. After stealing the ball on the next Framingham possession, Valley then knocked down a hesitation, step-back three in transition to put the Owls ahead, 77-73.
“Honestly, I was super frustrated, but I kept looking at the score and we were ahead, so I couldn’t hang my head. I just tried to brush it off and keep shooting. Forbes was holding it down for us,” Valley said.
Following another Framingham State turnover, freshman guard Allison Hester (Sutton, Mass.) sunk the Owls third consecutive three-pointer, giving them an 80-73 lead they would not relinquish. She added another three a few plays later to push the lead to nine.
“Allison said to me after the game, ‘of course I don’t make a shot all year, but then I hit those two.’ I told her that’s all that matters, this is the only game that matters,” Valley said.
Framingham State rallied down the stretch and had a chance to tie it, trailing 89-86 with 36 seconds left and possession of the ball, but the Rams missed two free throws and a jumper before Owls sophomore center Rebecca Sapouckey (Chicopee, Mass.) secured the rebound and Valley iced the game with two free throws.
“Honestly, I think I blacked out with like three minutes to go,” Westfield State coach Andrea Bertini said. “It was a crazy game, they [Framingham State] are a really good team. How about Alli Hester hitting two three threes and Jill hitting that step back? We made some huge plays in the fourth quarter to win that game.”
The game was a back-and-forth affair, with 10 ties and 13 lead changes. Westfield State forced 20 first-half turnovers, taking a 47-40 lead into half time.
The Owls pushed the lead up to ten, 59-49, midway through the third quarter, but Rams sophomore guard Raegan Mulherin (Baldwinville, Mass.) scored seven of the next nine points to cut the lead to two.
On the next play, however, Nkamebo pump-faked her defender, drew a foul and made the shot, completing a three-point play. She added another put back layup to push the lead back to five on the next possession.
Framingham State tied the game up at 64 on a layup late in the third, but Nkamebo added another bucket to give the Owls a 66-64 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Rams took their first lead of the second half with 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter on a pull up jumper from Mulherin in transition. Mulherin scored a career-high 32 points to lead the Rams. She also tallied 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists.
Junior center Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) also had a huge game for Framingham State, scoring 15 points and pulling down a program-record 26 rebounds. The 6-foot center also patrolled the paint defensively for the Rams, racking up six blocks.
Framingham State shot just 39 percent for the game, and committed 34 turnovers, but was able to stay in the game with timely three-point shooting (9-for-28) and 25 offensive rebounds.
Westfield State had 12 different players score, and its bench outscored Framingham’s, 38-15. Freshman forward Kierra McCarthy (Ludlow, Mass.) also reached double figures for the Owls with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Westfield State will find out its first round NCAA opponent after selections and pairings are announced on Monday afternoon.
Framingham State finishes its season with a program-record 19 wins and 7 losses. – Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports
