Westfield and MCLA players scramble for ball possession during first-half action. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
WESTFIELD – Sophomore center Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst) led a balanced attack with game highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds, and junior guard Jen Ashton (Beverly) had 15 points, seven assists and five steals to pace Westfield State University to a 79-64 women’s basketball victory over MCLA on Saturday afternoon.
The Owls, 11-7 overall, moved into sole possession of first place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) with a 4-1 record. Bridgewater State and Fitchburg State – the other top teams in the MASCAC – sustained home setbacks on Saturday. Fitchburg, 3-1 in the MASCAC following Saturday’s home loss to Worcester State, hosts Westfield in a key game this Tuesday.
Westfield and MCLA players scramble for ball possession during first-half action. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
Westfield’s offensive attack featured four players scoring in double figures. Sophomores Keri Doldoorian and Tayler Travis scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the all-underclassmen starting lineup. Travis, a 6-1 forward, grabbed seven rebounds, and Doldoorian added four assists and two steals. Westfield’s fifth starter – freshman guard Alyssa Darling of Palmer – finished with six points, five assists and three steals.
“Execution was the key today,” said Ashton, who is closing in on 1,000th career points. “We just put in a new offense and defense so we just had to work out the kinks.”
MCLA, 0-5 in the MASCAC and 4-13, led once, 5-4 three minutes into the game. With the Owls pounding the ball inside to their tall frontcourt of Nkamebo and Travis, they scored eight straight points to take a 12-5 lead.
Westfield led 22-12 at the midway point of the first half but the hustling Trailblazers went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 22-20.
Leading 31-27, the Owls scored nine quick points in the final 1:40 of the first half to take a 40-28 lead. Westfield made another big push early in the second half to lead by as many as 22 points.
Westfield outscored MCLA 14-2 during a three-minute stretch of the second stanza to take a 57-37 lead with 14:11 remaining. MCLA sliced the deficit to nine, 64-55, with 4:59 remaining, but Westfield withstood the final challenge to pull away in the closing minutes.
Senior guard Kaitlyn Chenevert led MCLA with 16 points; she also had nine rebounds and three steals. Freshman forward Kayla Hotaling posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore guard Mariah Brown tallied 13 points.
The Trailblazers shot 34 percent from the field and canned only 9 of 11 free throws. Westfield shot 42 percent from the floor and again shot well from the foul line, making 21 of 27 free throws.
