WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Westfield State women's basketball team will host MCLA in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Quarterfinals game tomorrow at 7:30 P.M. from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass. The women will be playing the second game of a playoff doubleheader with the men who are also facing the Trailblazers at 5:30 P.M.
WOODWARD WHITEOUT: Westfield State fans are asked to pack the Woodward Center and wear white-colored clothing to "White Out" the Woodward Center to both show school spirit and to support "Morgan's Message," a non-profit group which advocates for student-athlete mental health. The Westfield State chapter will have information regarding Morgan's Message and mental health resources at the game.
How They Got Here: The Owls enter the MASCAC tournament as the third seed, finishing the regular season at 16-9 overall and 9-3 in the conference. Westfield has won their last seven games, defeating every team in the conference during that stretch. The Trailblazers secured the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament, winning the tiebreaker over Fitchburg State after concluding the regular season at 4-20 overall and 1-11 in league action.
SEASON SERIES: Westfield won both matchups against MCLA this season, defeating the Trailblazers 83-49 in the MASCAC opener on January 4, then were victorious on January 28 with a 74-41 final score.
Juniors' Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) and Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine) combined for 32 points in the first meeting. Junior forward Jess Gardner (Webster, Mass.) posted a double-double in the second matchup, scoring a game-high 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Senior guard Olivia Pressley (Cobleskill, N.Y.) was the Trailblazers leading scorer in the first game between the two teams, recording 11 points. First-year forward Kristie Zator (Windham, Conn.) scored in double-figures in both matchups, including an 11-point, 16 rebound double-double at Westfield.
SEASON STAT LEADERS: On the season, Grant and Hadla are in the top five in scoring averages in the conference, both averaging 16.1 points per game. Grant is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (49.6%) while Hadla leads the Owls in three-point percentage at 32.1%.
A key to the Owls success this season has come on the defensive end of the floor as Westfield leads all of Division III in turnovers forced per game, totaling 36.12 per game. The Owls also lead the nation in steals per game at 21.3. Fronting the defense is first-year guard Octaviana Williams (Springfield, Mass.) who is second in the conference in steals per game at 2.9. Grad student Jenn Rennich (Bedford, Mass.) and Hadla are also top five in the MASCAC in steals.
The Trailblazers are led by a trio of first-year players in Zaylee Ramos (Worcester, Mass.), Zator, and Hailey Peabody (West Springfield, Mass.). Ramos averages the eighth-most points in the MASCAC at 12.4 points, also adding 6.0 rebounds across 24 games. Zator enters the tournament at 9.4 points, shooting 33.8% from beyond the arc for the third highest three-point percentage in the conference. Peabody tallied 8.3 points while leading the Trailblazers at 7.2 rebounds per game.
UP NEXT: The winner of this game will travel to second-seeded Framingham State (17-5, 9-3 MASCAC) on Thursday night in a MASCAC Semifinal game for a 7:00 P.M. tipoff. On the other side of the bracket, fourth-seeded Salem State hosts fifth-seeded Worcester State with the winner travelling to top-seeded Bridgewater State on Thursday.
LIVE COVERAGE: Live video and stream coverage of the game is available at www.WestfieldStateOwls.com and on the MASCAC.tv app and channel on Roku, Apple, and Amazon streaming devices. WSU students Zach Bianco and Nick Malouin have the call for the game. Live stats can be found at WestfieldStateOwls.com as well.