Worcester State 51, Westfield State 47
Worcester, MA --- Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven,
MA) had team highs of 10 points and 10 rebounds and Reilly
O’Keefe (Warren, MA) scored eight points, including
the game-winning basket with 27 seconds remaining, to lead
Worcester State to a hard-earned 51-47 victory over Westfield State
in the quarterfinals of the MASCAC women’s basketball
tournament.
Worcester (14-12) , the No. 3 seed, advances to the semifinals and
will face #2 seed Salem State on Friday at Bridgewater State
at 8:00 PM. Westfield State, the No. 6 seed and last
year’s MASCAC regular season and tournament champions,
finishes 10-16.
The Owls tied the score at 47-all on a three-point basket by
freshman guard Briana Kelly (Hampden, mA) with 1:37 remaining.
After a missed layups by Worcester’s Bri
Flanders (Southampton, MA) and Westfield’s Kelly,
the Lancers dumped the ball into Reilly O’Keefe on the block
and she scored to make it 49-47 with 27 seconds remaining.
O’Keefe was fouled on the play and missed the free throw,
but the Lancers grabbed their first of three offensive rebounds in
the game’s critical juncture.
Worcester missed the front end of two one-on-ones following the
first two offensive boards before Becca Giguere
(West Brookfield, MA) sealed the victory by making two free throws
with 12 seconds remaining.
Both teams played in-your-face defense and each shot was heavily
contested in the electric playoff atmosphere.
Worcester only led 21-17 at halftime and trailed by as many as
five points, 11-6, at the 13:25 mark. Westfield State only shot 14
percent (4-for-29) from the field in the first half but stayed
within striking distance as the Blue and Gold committed 16
first-half turnovers.
Westfield State did not make a field goal and was outscored 7-1 in
the final eight minutes of the first half.
The Lancers led for most of the second half, with its biggest lead
six points. Westfield finally tied the score at 40-all on a driving
layup by Molly Brogan (Mendon, MA) and took its only second-half
lead, 42-40, with 3:42 remaining when freshman guard Jenny Bell
(Northampton, MA) converted a steal into a layup.
Worcester State then regained the lead with a quick 5-0
scoring spurt on a Giguere jumper and a conventional 3-point play
from Charette following a beautiful baseline drive.
Meaghen O’Keefe (Warren, MA) - a 6-1 freshman
reserve center - was effective inside scoring eight points, making
4 of 5 field goal attempts. Giguere also tallied eight points in
the Lancers’ balanced attack and Flanders contributed six
points and nine rebounds.
Worcster State shot 49 percent from the field, including 57
percent in the second half, but Westfield stayed closed by forcing
28 Lancer turnovers. The Blue and Gold also held a huge
edge on the glass, 42-27.
Junior forward Ashley Finnegan (Worcester, MA) scored a game-high
14 points for the Owls while Kelly finished with 11 points and a
team-high seven rebounds. The Owls shot 29 percent from the field
and only committed 12 turnovers.
Release Courtesy of Westfield State Sports
Information