WESTFIELD, Mass. – Four players scored in double figures for Westfield State as the Owls sailed past Salem State, 100-72, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game at the Tim Shea Court in Salem, Mass. on Wednesday night.
Westfield ran out to a 29-16 first quarter lead behind red-hot 7-14 shooting from behind the three-point arc, including a 40-footer that Alison Mendel (Adams, Mass./Hoosac) banked in as time expired.
The Owls stayed hot, connecting on three straight triples, one from Chelsea Moussette (Southampton, Mass.) and two from Isabella Aitken (Pittsfield, Mass.) to cap the first half, and went to the locker room up 57-36, and led 84-62 after three quarters. The second-highest scoring team in the country, Westfield cracked the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season.
With the win, Westfield State (12-12, 9-2 MASCAC) evens its season record at the .500 mark with one game remaining in the regular season. The Owls started out 3-0 on the year before enduring a 10-game losing streak at mid-season that included four regionally-ranked opponents. Westfield has rallied throughout MASCAC play and are 9-2 overall since January14.
Westfield's Melissa Gray (Peabody, Mass.), the league's leading scorer with nearly 25 per game in conference play, led the way with 18 points. Gray moves into sole possession of ninth place on Westfield's all-time scoring list with 1,249 points. Current Owls' coach Andrea Bertini (1,310) is in eighth on the list.
Moussette added 17 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Aitken finished with 13 points and Mendel 10.
The Owls finished 17-46 from behind the arc, and taxed the Vikings into 33 turnovers, which Westfield converted into 40 points.
Salem State (6-18, 3-9) was led by 23 from Courtney Paschal. Nicole Freddo added 13 and Mia Crawley finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Westfield will host MCLA on Saturday at noon, in what will be senior day for the Owls four seniors, as well as the Think Pink cancer awareness game. Wear pink to the Woodward Center to support the Owls!
(photo gallery courtesy Jeff Maté)