Box Score WESTFIELD, Mass. – A combined 29 points between Owl sophomores Gabby Felix and Jen Ashton helped Westfield (1-0) to a 56-40 victory over Drew (0-1) in the opening round of the inaugural Westfield State University Tip-Off Tournament.

The Owls advance to Saturday's championship game, where they will play Castleton (Vt.) State College at 3:00 p.m. Drew will take on Regis College in the consolation game which tips off at 1:00 p.m.

Westfield trailed early by scores of 10-5 and 14-9 then went on two scoring runs in the final 11 minutes of the first half. A 9-0 run gave Westfield an 18-14 lead with 7:29 remaining in the first half. Drew regained the lead, 19-18, but Westfield closed out the first half with an 11-0 run for a 29-19 intermission lead.

Ashton, the 2012 MASCAC rookie of the year, finished with 14 points while Felix scored 15 points in the victory. Freshman Forbasaw Nkamebo finished with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds in 19 minutes of action off the bench.
The Rangers closed to within seven points early in the second half then Westfield began pulling away. The Owls led by 16 points, 42-26, midway thru the second stanza and by 20, 53-33, with 5:43 remaining.

Westfield held a significant edge at the foul line, canning 18-of-24 free throw including a 9-for-10 effort from the charity stripe from Felix.

Both teams grabbed 44 rebounds but Drew committed 26 turnovers and only shot 25 percent from the field, including a 5-for-23 effort from 3-point range. Westfield wasn't much better, shooting 31 percent from the floor.

Senior guard Whitney Mackay (Suffield, Conn./Berkshire) had a team-high 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Freshman Courtney Stephens (Pikesville, Md./ Gerstell Academy) grabbed game-high nine rebounds and added five points. Point guard Jennifer Mateo (Union City, N.J./Union City) had a game-high seven assists.