WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior center Kathleen Rodriguez (Macfarlane, Calif.) scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead New England College past Westfield State by a 90-83 final in a non-conference women's basketball game at the Bridges Gymnasium in Henniker, N.H. on Tuesday evening.
The Pilgrims (6-2) used a huge second half to flip momentum in the game, scoring 58 points in the second half.
Westfield (6-2) led 44-32 at halftime, as the Owls forced 27 Pilgrim turnovers, which Westfield converted into 28 points. Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) scored 18 in the opening stanza to lead the way for Westfield, while Rodriguez netted 12 for the Pilgrims on 6-7 shooting from the floor.
NEC handled the Owls' pressure defense better in the second half, tying the game at 57-all on an Alyssa Corona three-pointer with 2:10 left in the third. Westfield led 66-64 heading into the third period.
Westfield went ice cold shooting in the fourth quarter, connecting on just 5 of 23 shots, and 1 of 13 from three-point range.
An Ericka Pratt (Miami, Fla.) putback gave NEC a 75-69 lead with 6:10 left in the game. Macy Gordon's (Boscowen, N.H.) three-pointer boosted the Pilgrims' lead to 78-71 and forced an Owls timeout with 5:36 left to play. The lead got to as many as 10 points before Jess Gardner's (Webster, Mass./Holy Name) putback with 1:01 left pulled Westfield within five at 84-79, but the Owls could get no closer.
The Pilgrims outrebounded the Owls, 69-36, including 28 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 31 second-chance points.
The Owls played without 5-11 forward Jordan Grant, who suffered an injury last week against Mount Holyoke.
The 5-11 Rodriguez and 5-10 Pratt helped the Pilgrims to dominate inside, with Pratt adding 17 points and 17 rebounds. NEC finished with four players in double figures as Asia Jones (Boynton Beach, Fla.) added 16 points and Mackenzie McDonald (Boscowen, N.H.) 10.
Westfield was led by a career high 29 from Hadla, who finished 10-26 from the floor, 5-13 from three-point land, and 4-5 at the foul line. Gardner also hit a career best with 17 points, as she did battle inside, finishing 4-5 from the floor and 8-10 at the foul line. Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Hannah Sheldon (Taunton, Mass./Norton) each added eight points
Westfield shot just 33.8 percent from the floor (26-77) and 21 percent (8-38) from three-point range. The Owls made 36 trips to the foul line, connecting 23 times.
Westfield State will next play at the Ed Hockenbury Classic Tournament at Norwich University in Northfield, Vt. this Friday and Saturday, starting with a game against Trinity (CT) College on Friday at 8:00 p.m.