Westfield State Soars Past Women’s Basketball, 91-50 In 2010-11 Season Opener

Box Score

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College sophomore guard Jen Normandie (Westford, Mass.) scored 15 second half points but Westfield State University had five players in double digits including a game-high 21 points from Cassy Jouannet (Conway, Mass.) to help lift the Owls to a 91-50 victory over the Blazers in Monday night's non-conference season opening women's basketball game at Picknelly Arena.

With the loss, Elms moves to 0-1 on the season, while Westfield State begins its season 1-0.

Westfield State sprinted to an early 7-0 lead 2:12 into the contest and extended that lead to 18-4 five minutes into the contest. Elms answered with a 7-0 run of its own as junior guard Katie Condon (Sandy Hook, Conn.) delivered a pair of layups, junior forward Erika Murphy (Torrington, Conn.) drained a turnaround jumper, and freshman guard Marisabel Santiago (Springfield, Mass.) hit the back end of two free throws to pull the Blazers to within seven at 18-11 with 10:14 to play in the opening period.

The Owls then scored 10 unanswered points highlighted by a jumper and two free throws from Janae Jones (Springfield, Mass.), buckets underneath by Tania Ortiz (Holyoke, Mass.) and Brittany Armstrong (Schenectady, N.Y.) and a free throw each by Briana Kelly (Hampden, Mass.) and Ginny Fleming (Peabody, Mass.) to put Westfield State ahead 28-11 with 4:49 remaining in the opening 20 minutes. The Owls then scored 15 of the next 24 points to post a 23-point 43-20 lead at intermission.

Elms' freshman guard Erin Broughton (Essex Junction, Vt.) hit a jumper to cut the lead to 21 and the Blazers scored seven of the first 13 points of the second half but Westfield State shot 44.9 percent from the floor and a sizzling 66.7-percent from beyond the arc in the second half to maintain its momentum and keep at least a 30-point cushion for the majority of the second stanza.

Jones was the catalyst for the Owls' offense netting 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field including a 3 for 3 showing from three-point range. Jones also dished out nine assists in the winning effort.

Ashley Finnegan (Worcester, Mass.) drained 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass, while Armstrong finished with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Fleming added 10 points and seven boards off the bench for Westfield State.

Normandie hauled in a team-best nine rebounds to go along with her 15 points, while Condon added nine points off the bench in the loss.

Elms returns to action on Friday, Nov. 19 when it hosts its annual Blazer Tip-Off Tournament. The Blazers will square off against Johnson State College at 6:00 p.m. on Friday at Picknelly Arena.