WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior forward Kierra McCarthy (Ludlow, Mass.) scored a career-high 33 points and classmate Lucy Barrett (Williamstown, MA/Mt. Greylock) matched her career-best with 28, but Sage University squeaked past the Owls 115-111in Albany, N.Y. in a game that saw school records fall on both sides.
After trailing 52-44 at the half, the Sage's women's basketball team went on a second-half tear. The 115 points by Sage broke the Gators previous single-game scoring mark of 100 points (vs. College of St. Elizabeth, 1/7/2001). The combined 226 points scored in the contest is a school-record for both Sage and Westfield State.
The win puts Sage at 5-2 overall and the Owls at 4-3.
Sage had a rough start to the game having committed 27 first-half turnovers, but emerged from the locker room at the break and took control of the action. After trailing by as many as 13 points, Sage shot 57.8% from the floor in the second half and finished the day with 15 made three-point baskets, also tying the record for most made three-pointers, committed just 9 turnovers in the second half and scored 41 points alone in the third quarter.
Down the stretch, Sage led by as many as nine points in the third quarter, 85-76 (1:00) on a Patregnani three-pointer, but Westfield answered with nine straight points and tied the action at 85-85 as the quarter ended. McCarthy had a layup, a made three and junior guard Alyssa Camara (Quincy, MA/Quincy) hit a three at the buzzer to tie the game.
To open the fourth quarter, there were 10 ties and WSU took their last lead of game at 5:32 (98-95) as McCarthy hit a three pointer. Sage took the lead at 3:21 (104-102) as Bush hit a lay-up. Despite a late run, the Owls tried but were never able to cut the lead to less than one, and clutch free throws by Bush and Flynn, Sage was able to hold on for the big win.
McCarthy made 13-of-18 field goals with three baskets from down-town. She had 23 of her points in the second half for the Owls. Barrett added 28 points and was 11-30 from the floor and tied her career high Her 30 shots from the floor were one shy of the Owls single game record. Barrett now has 987 points in her Westfield State career, and will likely become the 16th 1,000 point scorer in school history in the near future.
McCarthy's 33-point outburst matched the ninth-best total in Westfield State history. She now has 900 career points, and ranks 17th on the Owls all-time list.
Sophomore forward Melissa Gray (Peabody, MA/Peabody) added 17 points for WSU and made 7-of-13 field goals in helping the Owls shoot 46.9% for the game (46-98).
For the Gators, the duo of sophomore Madasyn Bush (Pottersville, NY/North Warren Central) and junior forward Megan Flynn (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) carried the team to the winner's circle as they tallied 27 and 20 points, respectively.
Bush finished with a personal-best 27 points as she missed just one field goal in the game and was 11-12 with nine rebounds in 26 minutes played off the bench. Flynn finished with 20 points and made 9-of-11 field goals with eight rebounds and in just 13 minutes played as she got in early foul trouble.
Senior guard Emily Parslow (Fonda, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) saw limited time in the first half with no points as she got in early foul trouble. Parslow finished with 15 second half points as all of her baskets were three-pointers and had three assists. With her efforts on Saturday, she tied the Sage career three-point record with her 200th career three-pointer. She is now tied with Frankie Pearson (2013-2017) for the career record and now has ,1073 career points, and is the sixth all-time leading scorer at Sage.
Senior guard Macie Holmes (Amsterdam, NY/Mekeel Christian Academy) added a season-best 17 points and did not miss a single shot as she was 6-6 from the floor with a 5-5 effort from three-point range. Holmes surpassed the 600 career point plateau on Saturday and now has 604 career points with 133 career made three-point baskets and is third on the Gator career list. Junior guard Gessica Patreganani (Troy, NY/Lansingburgh) has a season-best 15 points with five assists in earning a start and added six rebounds. She is currently 10th on the career three-point list with 79 treys.
The Gators travel to Florida to compete in the Crusin Classic and will take on Washington & Jefferson and Widener University on December 20 and 21 in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Westfield State is back in action on December 12 hosting Smith College at 7 p.m.