After coming out victorious on Tuesday, Salem State and Westfield State are moving on to the semifinal round of the 2024 MASCAC Women's Basketball Tournament on Thursday, February 22.

#3 Westfield State 108, #6 Fitchburg State 54    Box Score

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Maddie Pond (Holyoke, Mass) scored a career-high 39 points and set the school record with 11 made three-point field goals in a single game to lead the third-seeded Westfield State Owls to a 108-54 victory over the sixth-seeded Fitchburg State Falcons in a MASCAC Quarterfinals game on Tuesday evening from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.

Pond's 39 points tied for the third-most points scored in a single game in program history. Pond set the school record in made threes with 11 on 50% (11-22) shooting from beyond the arc, passing Melissa Gray '22 who made ten triples in January of 2020.

The Owls advance to the MASCAC Semifinals and will travel to second-seeded Bridgewater State on Thursday, February 22 at 5:30 pm. The Falcons concluded their 2024 season, finishing with an overall record of 5-21.

It was all Owls from the jump as Pond hit her first triple on Westfield's opening offensive possession. The Owls quickly built their lead to ten in the first two minutes of action. Following her three, a steal by Pond resulted in a layup from Octaviana Williams (Springfield, Mass.). Williams then picked off the ball at center court which resulted in a layup from Pond. Another forced turnover by Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine) set Pond up for a three, giving the Owls a quick 10-0 lead just 1:13 into game action.

Pond started the game with the hot hand and never relinquished it, making her first five shots of the game. She ended the first quarter with 17 points on 6-7 from the field (5-6 from 3pt).

Behind 17 first quarter points from Pond, the Owls also forced 17 turnovers on the Falcons while recording 14 steals. The turnovers resulted in 27 points for the Owls. Williams and Morgan Berthiaume (Webster, Mass.) both recorded three first quarter steals. Williams finished as the Owls leader in steals with five. Berthiaume was the Owls leader in assists with eight.

The Owls recorded 26 steals and forced 37 turnovers throughout the whole game.

The Owls ended the first quarter with a 28-point lead, 34-6. Four of the Falcons' six points came off of free throws as they shot just 1-11 from the field in the first quarter.

Lindsey Bohenko (Lowell, Mass.) helped the Owls continue to build their lead through the second quarter as she was perfect from the floor in the second. Bohenko went 3-3 with two three pointers. She finished the game with eight points. Hannah Sheldon (Taunton, Mass.) recorded six second quarter points and finished the game with 12 points.

The Owls held the Falcons scoreless for over eight minutes of game time with a jumper from Alexis DeSimone (Ashburnham, Mass.) with 2:25 left in the half snapping the scoring drought. The Owls closed the half up 52-10 on the Falcons.

As the second half started, the Owls opened up to a 18-4 run in the first five minutes to continue to extend the advantage.

The Falcons had their best shooting stanza in the final frame, shooting 47.1% (8-17) from the field while shooting 45.5% (5-11) from the three-point line. Rylie Harlow (Hanson, Mass.) recorded 15 fourth quarter points. She ended the night as Fitchburg's leading scorer with 17 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.

Sitting at ten made three-pointers in the contest, Pond received a pass from Ashley Ames (Valatie, N.Y.) in the left-wing corner where she nailed her 11^th triple of the night to set the record with 43 seconds remaining in the game.

For the Owls, Grant led the game with 16 rebounds. Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) tallied 13 points. For the Falcons, Aliza Som (Lowell, Mass.) added nine points. Stephanie Hart (Shirley, MA) led the Falcons with 12 rebounds.

#4 Salem State 84, #5 Worcester State 80  OT      Box Score

SALEM, Mass. -- Abuk Teng (Manchester, N.H.) was perfect at the free throw line during the final seconds of overtime as #4 Salem State slipped past #5 Worcester State, 84-80 on Tuesday night at Twohig Gymnasium in MASCAC quarterfinal action.  The Vikings improved to 13-12 while the Lancers end their season 5-21.  Salem State will now face top seeded Framingham State this Thursday night in a semifinal game at 6:00 pm.  

Kylie Gates  (Pembroke, Mass.) was the standout performer for the Vikings as she led the team with an impressive 29 points and seven steals. Meanwhile,  Teng recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. For Worcester State, Alana Smith (Chicopee, Mass.) was the leading rebounder with 18 rebounds, while Cameron Watkins (Dracut, Mass.) put up a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Katie Hurynowicz  (Tyngsboro, Mass.) had an exceptional game, scoring 27 points and was perfect with all nine of her free throw attempts.

The game began with Ernidia Goncalves (Everett, Mass.) scoring the first basket for Salem State as the Vikings traded points with the Lancers early on. The game progressed as a back-and-forth battle, and Salem State managed to take a one-point lead, 8-7 at the 6:57 mark after Nicolette D'Itra  (Revere, Mass.) hit both of her free throws. This sparked a 10-2 run, with Gates scoring six of those points, and the Vikings went up 18-9 with 4:44 left on the clock. Worcester State tried to get back into the game with a 9-4 run, but Gates dashed their hopes by scoring a three at the buzzer, putting the Vikings ahead by eight by a score of 25-17.

In the second half, Mia Haynes (Worcester, Mass.) opened the scoring for Worcester State and Hurynowicz quickly scored a two-pointer and converted a three-point play with a free throw, bringing the score to 27-24 in favor of the Vikings. Salem State's lead was cut down to just one point, 29-28, but Teng scored a layup and converted a free throw, for a three-point play. This sparked a 10-1 run by the Vikings, giving them an 11-point lead, 40-29 with 3:06 remaining. Jaylen Nieves (Chicopee, Mass.) then hit a three, forcing Worcester State to call a timeout. After the timeout, Nieves was fouled, and she managed to score two of the three free throws.  

At halftime, Salem State led by nine points, 42-33. Gates was the leading scorer for the Vikings, with 13 points, scoring 5-8 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line. Teng was the top rebounder for the Vikings with five, while D'Itria and Goncalves had three assists each. For Worcester State, Lena Waldron  (Quincy, Mass.) and Hurynowicz had nine points each, while Alana Smith (Chicopee, Mass.) had 11 rebounds.

In the second half, Salem State struggled from the floor, going 4-for-15 (26.7%), allowing the Lancers to cut the deficit to just two points, 55-53 at the end of the third quarter as Worcester State closed on a 6-0 run.  

In the fourth period, D'Itria started the scoring, making a basket and scoring two buckets from the free throw line. The game was closely contested, with the score tied at 59 apiece with 6:51 remaining. Worcester State took the lead at the 5:30 mark, 61-60. However, at the 5:00 minute mark, the game was tied again at 63 apiece, as the battle continued.

Salem State was down by four points at the 2:58 mark, 67-63. However, Nieves banged in a three, and with 28.6 seconds remaining, Salem State was down by one point by a  score of 71-70. However, Gates managed to even up the score with only 22.6 seconds remaining after hitting 1-of-2 from the line, sending the game to overtime.

Hurynowicz scored the first basket of overtime to put the Lancers in the lead, but the Vikings responded right back. At the 2:17 mark, Teng scored on a layup, putting the Vikings ahead, 77-76, and then completed the three-point play with a free throw.  

With the game tied at 80, Gates managed to knock in both of her free throws, and Teng sealed the deal from the charity stripe, connectiong on both attempts as Salem State secured a thrilling 84-80 quarterfinal victory in overtime.  

Releases courtesy of Salem State and Westfield State Sports Information