WESTFIELD, Mass. – Elizabeth Gallella (Tewksbury, Mass.) had 19 points, 14 rebounds and 9 steals on Saturday afternoon, but the Worcester State women's basketball team fell 80-69 in their Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opener at Woodward Center.
Gallella was one of four players in double-figures and three players with double-doubles for Worcester (5-7, 0-1 MASCAC), who outrebounded the Owls 51-39.
Gigi LeMay (Grafton, Mass.) scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Abby St. Martin (Putnam, Conn.) scored ten points and grabbed 11 boards.
Owls head coach Andrea Bertini recorded her 300th career victory in the winning effort, helped by sophomore forward Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine), who scored a team-high 18 points while collecting nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) followed her season high scoring output with 17 points on five of seven shooting from the floor (3-5 from three-point range).
The Owls gained separation at the conclusion of the first quarter as sophomore guard Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield, Mass.) found Hadla, who buried a deep three as time expired to put the Owls up six. The Owls would finish strong once again at the end of the first half, as a Grant step-through lay-in capped a 10-1 run, putting Westfield up 14 heading into the break.
The Lancers would answer in the opening minutes of the third quarter as consecutive baskets by LeMay would trim the deficit to eight points. The Owls ramped up their defensive intensity late in the quarter as Lummus forced a turnover and then connected with senior guard Isabella Aitken who drilled a corner three to put the Owls up 13. On the ensuing possession, Lummus again forced a Lancer turnover which led to Owl free throws and the hosts had an 18-point lead after three quarters.
Worcester State closed the game on a 9-0 run, but ran out of time as the Owls held a double-digit lead throughout the quarter.
Senior guard Melissa Gray (Peabody, Mass.) registered a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds) with five steals, and first-year point guard Lila Labrie (Southampton, Mass.) was the fourth Owl player to finish in double-figures with ten points.
The Owls shot 39.4% from the field (28-71) and 25.0% from deep (7-28). The Lancers took all of their shots inside of the perimeter in the game, connecting on 31 of 72 shots (43.1%) while not attempting a three-pointer.
Westfield State (7-7, 3-0 MASCAC) will carry a five-game winning streak into their next match-up as the Owls will host Bridgewater State on Wednesday at 5:30 P.M.
Worcester returns to their home court for the first time since November 13th when they host Fitchburg State next week. Tip-off for that game is at 5:30, followed by a men's basketball game against the Falcons at 7:30.