WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State senior Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) scored a game-high 21 points as the Owls outscored Plymouth State by 20 points in the second to pull away with an 86-63 victory in a non-conference game on Saturday afternoon from Foley Gym in Plymouth, N.H.
The Owls pick up their first win of the season, improving to 1-1 on the year. The Panthers fall to 1-1 after the loss.
Westfield held a slim three-point lead heading into the second half where the Owls dominated the closing minutes of the third quarter. With the game tied at 46, the Owls went on a mini scoring run of six points with Hadla converting a layup through contact, then hitting the free throw to put Westfield ahead 52-46.
Brianna Wilcox (Londonderry, N.H.) answered with a four-point play, nailing a triple and then hitting a free throw to draw the game back to a two-point margin with 4:55 to play in the third. From that point forward, the Owls would control the closing stages of the frame, ripping off an 18-4 run to essentially put the game out of reach.
Hadla started the outburst with a three-point make, then the Owls defense generated transition opportunities for Westfield with Hannah Sheldon (Taunton, Mass.) connecting for a jumper, then after two free throws from Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine), another Panthers turnover led to a triple by Mia-Angelina Leslie (Lewiston, Maine) to open up a 12-point lead for Westfield at 62-50.
After a Plymouth timeout, the offensive barrage continues for Westfield with Sophia DeAngelis (Braintree, Mass.) hitting a pair of free throws, then a steal and layup for Grant pushed the lead up to 16 with 2:11 to play in the period. Jess Gardner (Webster, Mass.) punctuated the run with a made free throw as the Owls led 70-54 after three quarters.
The Panthers would get no closer than 14 points as the Owls closed out the final frame by outscoring Plymouth by seven, holding a 45-25 scoring edge in the second half.
Hadla and Grant combined for 40 points with Hadla burying four triples as part of her 21-point afternoon. Grant supplied 19 points and seven rebounds. Sheldon and Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield, Mass.) each had five steals as the Owls forced 42 turnovers and swiped 23 passes.
Sophie George (Meredith, N.H.) led the Panthers with 18 points with Wilcox following with 17. Ashley Stephens (Pembroke, N.H.) piled up ten rebounds to go along with seven points.
Westfield State will return home to host the Westfield Gas and Electric Tip-Off Tournament from Westfield, Mass. against Regis College (Mass.) on Friday at 5:30 P.M.