FITCHBURG, Mass. – Seniors Lucy Barrett and Kierra McCarthy combined for 45 points to lead Westfield State to a 89-61 win over Fitchburg State in MASCAC women's basketball at the Parkinson Gymnasium on Wednesday night.
With the win, Westfield improves to 15-9 overall and 9-2 in the MASCAC. The Owls clinch the #2 seed in the conference tournament and a first round tournament bye with one game remaining in the season. League-leading Worcester State defeated Bridgewater tonight, setting up a showdown between the Owls and Lancers on Saturday, the top two teams in the league. Westfield could tie Worcester for the league's regular-season crown with a win, however the Lancers secured the number 1 seed in the conference tournament by virtue of tiebreakers with the win over Bridgewater tonight.
Barrett led Westfield with 27 points, while McCarthy added 18. Sophomore forward Melissa Gray added in 17 points for the Owls .
Westfield forced 37 turnovers from the Falcons, with 21 Westfield steals.
Westfield led 26-16 after the first quarter, and pulled away in the second quarter to lead 46-24 at the intermission behind 12 points from Gray and 11 from McCarthy. The Owls forced 24 Fitchburg turnovers in the first quarter.
Fitchburg falls to 9-15, 2-9 in the MASCAC. The Falcons were led by 15 from Angelina Marazzi.
Westfield State will host its final regular season game on Saturday, tipping off with league-leading Worcester State at 2 p.m. at the Woodward Center. It will be senior day for the Owls, as they recognize seniors Lucy Barrett, Allison Hester and Kierra McCarthy before the game for their four-year contributions to the Owls.