Forbasaw Nkamebo led the Owls with 13 points and 11 rebounds. (File Photo)
BOSTON – Westfield State closed the game with a 12-4 run to turn a two-point deficit into a six-point win, as the Owls had a bright end to the first semester with a 62-56 win over UMass Boston at the Clark Athletic Center on Thursday night.
Trailing 52-50 with less than four minutes to play, Westfield tied the game at 52-all on a Jill Valley (Mahar Regional/Orange, Mass.) layup. The Owls seized the lead for good, 53-52 on Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst/Amherst, Mass.) free throw with 3:28 left in regulation, then extended the lead to three points, 55-52, two possessions later as senior guard Jen Ashton (Beverly/Beverly, Mass.) got a steal and was fouled and converted both free throws. From that point the Owls converted five of six free throws and got a layup from Ashton the rest of the way to dash the Beacons hopes.
Westfield trailed 31-29 at the half.
Nkamebo led the Owls balanced attack with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Ashton had a solid all-court game with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Gabby Felix (Commerce/Springfield, Mass.) added 11 points, and freshman Rebecca Sapouckey (Granby/Chicopee, Mass.) contributed six points and nine rebounds in making her first start.
Olivia Marshall guided UMass Boston with 16 points, with Kristen Morrisson adding 14. The Beacons dim to 4-4 with the loss.
Westfield forced 26 turnovers from the Beacons, but UMass Boston’s 5-8 shooting from behind the three point arc kept the game in the balance until the final minutes.
Westfield improves to 5-3 with the win. The Owls will break for finals, before returning to host the Westfield State Holiday Tournament on December 29th and 30th, featuring Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The University of Southern Maine, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
