ALISON MENDEL
WESTFIELD, Mass. — Emily Pratt scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Endicott College to a 77-72 win over Westfield State in the consolation final of the Morin Memorial Tournament at Williams College’s Chandler Gymnasium in Williamstown, Mass. on Saturday.
Westfield (3-2) led 38-34 at the half, and The Owls led 66-65 after a Melissa Gray (Peabody, Mass.) three-pointer with 4:24 to go, but that was their last lead of the contest.
Olivia Duncan fueled the late game drive from the Gulls with six of her eight points in the game coming in the final 4:24.
Westfield trimmed the lead to just two points, 74-72 on an Alison Mendel (Adams, Mass./Hoosac) layup with 21 seconds to play.
The Owls fouled Endicott’s Emily Pratt, who hit one of two to give Westfield a chance to tie on their final possession, but three-point tries from Chelsea Moussette (Southampton, Mass.) and Gray couldn’t find the mark, and Pratt sank a pair of free throws with one second left for the final margin.
Mendel led Westfield with 15 points, shooting 5-7 from the floor and 3-4 behind the arc. Isabella Aitken (Pittsfield, Mass.) added 12 for Westfield, while Gray finished with 11 while shooting just 4-7 from the floor and 2-9 downtown.
Pratt added 13 points and 17 rebounds for Endicott (2-2), which held a 62-43 rebounding edge over the Owls.
Westfield forced 33 turnovers from the Gulls, but the Owls were able to convert those into just 20 points. Westfield shot just 23-82 (28 percent) from the floor and had seven shots blocked by Endicott.
The Owls will have a break for Thanksgiving before returning to action with a non-conference game at Albertus Magnus College on Wednesday, Dec. 4. – Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports
