WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State junior guard Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) poured on a career-high 28 points as the Owls rolled past Hunter College 84-51 in the Hunter Tip-Off Tournament Championship game from New York, N.Y. on Saturday afternoon.
Westfield (4-1) picks up wins on consecutive days as the Owls defeated UMass Boston, 72-62, on Friday night to advance to the title game. Hunter College drops to 4-2 on the season.
The Owls nearly pulled together a wire-to-wire victory, holding the lead for over 37 minutes.
Westfield overwhelmed the Hawks from the opening quarter with the Owls defense forcing more turnovers (12) than points allowed (eight), building up a 14-point lead after one quarter.
Offensively, Westfield put together their best shooting period of the game in the second quarter by connecting on 50% of their shots (10-20) while also knocking down six of 13 triples. Hadla, who was named the Hunter Tip-Off Tournament MVP, dominated the first 20 minutes of the game, collecting 24 points with six first-half threes to tie the school record for most made triples in a half. The Owls led by 33 points heading into the break as Westfield cruised to victory.
Hadla finished the contest with 28 points (11-18 FG) and three steals. Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine) piled up 21 points and eight rebounds to earn placement on the All-Tournament Team. Mia-Angelina Leslie (Lewiston, Maine) was the next leading scorer for the Owls as she supplied nine points and six rebounds.
Alexa Charles (Tarrytown, N.Y.) led the Hawks in scoring, recording 17 points with eight rebounds. Erin Cosio (East Brunswick, N.J.) also reached double figures for Hunter, generating 13 points.
The Owls defense continued to suffocate opposing teams with Hunter College coughing up 38 turnovers (25 in the first half) that led to 45 points for Westfield.
Westfield also controlled the glass throughout the game, including 20 offensive rebounds to hold a +12-rebounding margin (40-28).
Westfield State will play one more game before the Thanksgiving break as the Owls travel to Mount Holyoke College on Tuesday for a 7:00 P.M. start time.