Owls Launch 54 Threes, Slay Hunter 84-63

Sophomore Olivia Hadla’s (Westfield, Mass.) 22 points led the way for Westfield State, as the Owls cruised to an 84-63 win over Hunter College. 

Olivia Hadla goes to the hoop against Hunter College. (Nate Moskowitz photo)
Olivia Hadla goes to the hoop against Hunter College. (Nate Moskowitz photo)
January 22, 2022

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore Olivia Hadla's (Westfield, Mass.) 22 points led the way for Westfield State, as the Owls cruised to an 84-63 win over Hunter College. 

The Owls (8-8) sit firmly at .500 with an impressive victory against Hunter College (4-11) on Saturday evening at the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.  

Westfield State spread the wealth tonight, with eight different players scoring five or more. Olivia Hadla scored a game high 22 points, along with four steals. Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine) chipped in 10 points, and eight rebounds. Maddie Pond (Holyoke, Mass.) and Lauren Legere (Bedford, Mass.) both scored eight points with a pair of made 3's. 

After a 30-9 first quarter in favor of Westfield, the Owls remained in control the entire game. Hunter College never led and struggled to break through Westfield's swarming full-court press. Even with the absence of their leading scorer, Senior Melissa Gray (Peabody, Mass.), the Owls launched 54 3's, the third-highest mark in the history of the program. 

Westfield made five 3's and forced 12 turnovers to spark a 30-9 first quarter lead. The Hawks came out strong to start the 2nd, with the first eight points of the quarter, including consecutive 3's from Nina Hennessy (New York, N.Y.). Westfield's nine 3's in the quarter were ultimately too much to handle, keeping them on top 49-30 at halftime. 

Hadla fueled a strong 3rd for Westfield by scoring 10 of the teams 24 points, on the way to holding a 73-43 lead heading into the final frame. Hunter College had their best quarter in the 4th, outscoring Westfield 20-11.  

Maya Thompson (Billerica, Mass.) scored a team-high 14 points for the Hawks, along with 8 rebounds. Nina Hennessy (New York, N.Y.) and Kimberley Lau (Queens, N.Y.) scored 12 points apiece. 

Westfield travels to Framingham State for a matchup with the conference leading Rams on Monday the 24th at 5:30 P.M. Hunter College comes off a 75-31 win versus The City College of New York the night before, and they're back in action on the 25th at Lehman College. 

- written by Nate Moskowitz, sports information intern