Forbasaw Nkamebo scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Owls (File Photo)
WESTFIELD – Sophomore guard Jill Valley (Mahar/Orange, Mass.) scored 20 points and junior forward Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst/Amherst, Mass.) added 19 as Westfield State used a solid team effort to defeat Eastern Connecticut State University, 65-57, in a non-conference women’s basketball game at the Woodward Center on Monday night.
Westfield State pulled away late, as Valley scored six of the Owls last 10 points. Westfield tied the game at 55-all on jumper by Alyssa Darling with 8:04 left in the game. Valley hit a pair of free throws with 7:10 to play to give the Owls the lead for good.
After Nkamebo scored on a jumper with 5:49 left, Julia DePoi answered for Eastern with a layup at the 4:42 mark, but the Warriors would not score in the final 4:42 of the game.
Eastern Connecticut led 36-32 at the half.
Westfield State opened the second frame with a 6-2 spurt to tie the game at 38-all after forcing turnovers on three of the Warriors first four possessions, and extended the lead to four, 44-40 just 3:37 into the second half. The two teams largely traded baskets for the next nine minutes, until Eastern used a brief 6-0 run to grab a 55-53 lead on Jill Ritrosky’s (Pittsfield/Pittsfield, Mass) layup with 8:20 to play.
Ritrosky led Eastern Connecticut with 13 points. Shannon McCourt (New Fairfield/New Fairfield, Conn.) added 12 and Krsitina Forsman (Newington/Newington, Conn) 10. Sophomore guard Julia DePoi (Brookfield/Brookfield, Conn.)scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Warriors (6-5).
Westfield improves to 8-4 on the season. The Owls got 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds from senior guard Jen Ashton (Beverly/Beverly, Mass.) in a supporting role, and freshman center Rebecca Sapouckey (Granby/Chicopee, Mass.) came off the bench with five points and 10 rebounds.
Westfield will return to action Thursday, January 8, traveling to Framingham State for the MASCAC conference opener.
