Lady Vikings Play Hard but Lose to Owls
By Stephan Miller
Salem, Mass., Feb. 23, 2017 — Guards Jill Valley (Orange, Mass.) and Lucy Barrett (Williamstown, Mass.) contributed 15 points each as the Westfield State Owls handed the Vikings of Salem State University a 91–65 defeat on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the O’Keefe Center.
With the win, Westfield improved to 15–8 overall and 9–1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), while the Vikings dropped to 10–14 and 2–9 in conference play.
This was an important game for the Salem State Vikings Women’s Basketball team. Earlier this season, the two teams faced in Westfield on January 18 where the Owls handed Salem State a major blowout, winning by 49 points, 126–77. Salem had to play for pride and attempt to keep their season alive. With two games remaining in the regular season the Vikings have to win at least one out of two games to secure a spot in the MASCAC playoffs. At the start of the game, Head Coach Michelle Cunningham said: “That’s the ultimate goal, to make the playoffs.”
Salem State had trouble in the first half handling the full court pressure applied by the Owls as Westfield State forced 19 first-half turnovers in building a 51–22 lead before intermission. The Vikings were cold from the field also, going just 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) from the field.
Sophomore guard Lucy Barrett was the leading scorer at the half for Westfield with 11 points in eight minutes. For the Vikings, sophomore forward Kia Fernandes (Wareham, MA), was the lone bright spot for Salem State with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting and seven rebounds in the first half.
“We just have to keep playing,” Fernandes said at halftime. “Anything can happen.”
The Vikings made strides to start the second half, outscoring the Owls 20–16 in the third quarter, but Westfield’s pressure continued to trouble Salem State, as the Vikings ended the game with 37 total team turnovers.
Ten players contributed to the 24 steals the Owls were able to tally, with sophomore forward Janaiya Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) leading the team with six. Westfield State managed to turn those turnovers into 47 points while the pressure of the Owls made it difficult for the Vikings to get any clean looks as Salem State went just 1–15 (6.7%) from behind the arc.
It was a combined team effort for Westfield State as guards Valley, Barrett, and sophomore Kierra McCarthy (Ludlow, Mass.) led the way combining for 43 points and seven steals.
In the loss, junior guard Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) finished with a double-double. Waggett was still determined, even after the game.
“It’s important to continue to play hard all game regardless of the score,” she said. “You never know what could happen.”
Waggett had a strong scoring second half despite the deficit, finishing with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Kia Fernandes also finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
