2015-2016 WESTFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM
WESTFIELD – The Westfield State women’s basketball team will face Framingham State in the MASCAC Championship game this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in the Woodward Center.
While top-seeded Westfield improved to 19-7 with an 85-48 semifinal win over MCLA, Framingham State was a 67-62 winner over Bridgewater State Thursday night, in the MASCAC Championship game. The league champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Westfield handed Framingham State both its league losses, defeating the Rams in the regular season matchups, 86-77 in their first game and 94-76 in their second.
Westfield is looking for its third MASCAC tournament title; the Owls won in 1992 and 2009. Framingham is seeking its first ever MASCAC title.
The Owls have many strong individuals on the team this year which has helped lead to their success on the court. Junior guard, Jill Valley (Mahar/Orange, Mass.), the MASCAC player of the year, was joined on the all-conference first-team by senior center Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst / Amherst, Mass.).
Valley leads the Owls with 92 steals and averages 17.2 points a game.
Nkamebo is finishing an outstanding four-year career for the Owls, repeating as a first-team all-conference choice. Nkamebo has 10 double-doubles this season. She has also keyed the Owls press, which forces the most turnovers in the nation.
In the semifinals against MCLA on Thursday night, the Owls got a balanced scoring effort led by Nkamebo’s 20 points and 11 points from Kirsy Segarra, (Holyoke/Holyoke, Mass.) the only other Owl in double figures.
The Framingham State women’s basketball team defeated Bridgewater State in the semi-final round of the 2016 MASCAC women’s basketball tournament with a 67-62 thriller at an energetic Athletic Center Gymnasium Thursday evening. Framingham State enters Saturday’s game with a 19-6 overall record.
The Rams were led by junior Monta Connolly (Lynn, Mass.) who registered a double-double with 17 points and ten rebounds, shooting six of nine from the field. Quinn O’Connell (Sterling, Mass.) added 12 points off the bench, contributing two of the Rams seven treys on the evening. Junior Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) registered a game-high 14 rebounds while adding 8 points. – Courtesy of Westfield State University Sports
