Women's Basketball Shoots Season-High Percentage in 93-84 Win vs. Westfield State

BOSTON - The Emmanuel Saints shot a season-best 54.8 percent from the floor, going 34-for-62 on the night, while senior Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) finished with a career-high 26 points, helping women's basketball to a 93-84 win over Westfield State on Tuesday night in non-conference play on Yosinoff Court.

Leading by five at halftime, a decisive third quarter by Emmanuel led the Saints to Tuesday's non-conference victory. In the opening five minutes of the second half, the Saints doubled their lead to 10 before taking their first major step at pulling away from the Owls.

Over the final 5:15 of the third quarter, Emmanuel outscored Westfield State 21-9, giving the Saints a 72-50 lead through three quarters.

The Saints outscored the Owls 30-13 in the third quarter while shooting 9-of-17 from the floor, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. The catalyst in the run was junior Paris Atuahene (Phoenix, Ariz.), who scored 14 of her 17 points in the third, going 3-for-5 from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 at the line.

Emmanuel pushed the lead to 27, starting the fourth quarter on a 6-1 run for their largest lead of the night at 78-51. Despite the deficit, the Owls continued pressure paid off in the form of a 24-6 run that took the double-digit deficit all the way down to nine points at 84-75.

The Owls would ultimately run out of time as the Saints broke through the pressure in the final minutes, leading to multiple fast-break layups, helping to hold off Westfield.

The Owls high-pressure defense caused its fair share of problems for the Saints in the early going, as Emmanuel turned the ball over 13 times in the opening quarter, but managed to hold a 19-17 lead after the first.

Another nine turnovers awaited the Saints in the second quarter, helping the Owls to a nine-point lead midway through the second. Despite the Saints miscues, Emmanuel steadied themselves and battled back with a 19-5 run over the final 4:04 to lead 42-37 at half.

Along with her career-high 26 points, Matela added a career-high eight assists while shooting 10-for-19 on the night. Atuahene finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists. First-year Meagan Schuermann (Cooperstown, N.Y.) added a career-high 16 points in 27 minutes off the bench. Emmanuel had 12 blocks as a team, including three each for senior Kiera Eubanks (Portland, Maine) and first-year Kaitlyn Bartash (Standish, Maine).

Westfield State senior Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) finished with a game-high and season-best 31 points, including 6-of-15 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Octaviana Williams (Springfield, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with eight points, 15 rebounds, and eight steals. The Owls caused 40 turnovers, resulting in 28 steals on the evening.

The Saints (2-3) head on the road for a game at Springfield College tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. The Owls (3-3) head into December with a trip to the Coast Guard Academy on Dec. 2 at 1:00 p.m.