FRAMINGHAM – Senior guard Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) posted a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Framingham State University women’s basketball team to a 74-53 victory over Westfield State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams are now 4-3 in the MASCAC and sit in a four-way tie for second place in the standings with Fitchburg State and Salem State. The Rams are now 10-9 overall on the year, while the Owls move to 11-9.
Hoffman connected on 6-of-9 from the floor in the game including 5-of-7 from behind the arc en route to her team-high 17 points. She filled the stat sheet with 11 boards, four assists and four steals.
Freshman forward Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points on 5-of-9 from the field and eight caroms while blocking three shots. Junior Margo McCarthy (Southampton, Mass.) was the third Ram in double figures as she finished with 11 points, five boards and four assists.
The Owls were led by sophomore forward Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst, Mass.) who finished a rebound shy of a double-double with a game-high 19 points and nine boards ,including three on the offensive glass. Nkamebo connected on 8-of-13 from the floor. Sophomore Tayler Travis (Somerset, Mass.) finished with seven points for the Owls, while senior guard Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass.), who scored 27 points in the two teams’ first meeting earlier this year, was held to just three points in the game on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor.
The Rams used a 13-2 run midway through the first half to open up a 14-point lead, the largest of the half, over the Owls. The run was fueled by a trio of jumpers from sophomore Kerry Coyne (North Attleboro, Mass.) and a deep three from Hoffman.
Framingham State continued to build on the lead in the second half using a 17-5 run to open up a 20-point advantage. Rackliffe tallied seven points on the spurt. The Rams extended their lead to as many as 27 in the final half before taking the 74-53 victory.
The Rams held a 34-15 advantage in bench scoring as well as outrebounding the Owls 47-39. Framingham State shot 45% from the field for the game including 50% from long range (11-22). The Owls struggled from the field shooting just 31% and only 17% from behind the arc (3-18).
Both teams resume MASCAC play on Tuesday evening with the Rams hosting Fitchburg State at 6 p.m. and the Owls entertaining Bridgewater State at 5:30 p.m.
