Grant, Hadla Lead Owls to Season-Opening Win over Keene

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State juniors' Jordan Grant (Grey, Maine) and Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) combined for 34 points to guide Westfield to a 66-55 victory over Keene State in the season opener for women's basketball on Tuesday night from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.

Hadla and Grant led the way for Westfield, each scoring 17 points and dishing out five assists in the win. Hadla was a pest on the defensive end, forcing a game-high six steals. Grant led Westfield State on the boards tonight, snatching nine rebounds, with contributions also coming from guard Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield, Mass.) and forward Jess Gardner (Webster, Mass.) who each registered seven boards. Lummus was the third Westfield player in double figures for the night, totaling 11 points.

Sophomore guard Aryanna Murray (Nashua, N.H) led Keene State in points with 15. Murray and first-year guard Kate McAvoy (Willington, Conn.) were the primary facilitators for Keene, leading the way with five assists each. Sophomore forward Kenzie Durnford (Katy, Texas.) posted a double-double for Keene, collecting 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Keene finished out the first quarter with a three-point advantage over Westfield, which was later stifled by a 17-6 Westfield run that saw them end the half with a four-point advantage. Westfield State played suffocating defense, scoring 34 points from 41 Keene State turnovers. Westfield State would outscore Keene State 37-30 in the second half to finish the game with a double-digit victory.

Keene ended the contest with better shooting efficiency than Westfield, as Westfield finished the game shooting 34% from the field on 25-74 shooting, 5-34 (14.7%) from three-point range, while Keene State finished the game shooting 45% on 23-51 shooting, 4-18 (22.2%) from three-point range.

Westfield State will tip off next on Saturday, November 12 against the Plymouth State Panthers from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Massachusetts at 1:00 P.M. Keene State will travel to Southern Maine for their Little East Conference opener on Saturday for a 1:00 P.M. start time.