PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore Sabrina Vlahovic (New Hope, Pa.) sank four free throws in the final minute as Plymouth State University outpaced a high-speed Westfield State University team, defeating the Owls 67-65 in a non-conference women's basketball game at Foley Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
 
Vlahovic notched her first career double-double to lead the Panthers with 16 points and ten rebounds, while junior Jalen Cook (Monkton, Vt.) added 14 points of her own, shooting 6-of-14 from the floor and adding four blocks.
 
The Owls knocked down 13 three-pointers, but the Panthers continued to claw forward, putting in a full team effort to secure the victory in the home opener.
 
Plymouth State improves to 1-1 on the season, while the Owls go to 0-2.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 67, Westfield State 65
  • Plymouth State (1-1)
  • Westfield State (0-2)

Top Performers:

• Plymouth State
  • Sabrina Vlahovic (16 pts, 10 reb, 6-14 fg, 6-6 ft)
  • Jalen Cook (14 pts, 6 reb, 4 stl, 4 blk)
  • Jessica Ruiz (10 pts, 5-10 fg, 7 reb)

How it Happened:

• PSU took its first lead after a Vlahovic fast break layup put the Panthers up 5-4 with 6:32 left in the first quarter.
• The Panthers shot 53.3% from the floor in the first quarter, but five three-pointers from the Owls contributed to an early advantage 21-18 at the end of one.
• A 14-2 run put the Panthers back ahead 36-28 with 2:37 remaining in a fast-paced second quarter.
• The Owls kept hitting from three-point-land late in the second to close the gap 39-36 heading into the half.
• PSU continued to run the floor, scoring the first six points of the third quarter to give the Panthers a 45-36 lead with 7:07 on the clock.
• The Owls outscored the Panthers 16-8 to finish out the third, cutting the PSU lead to just one, 53-52.
• Westfield State took an early fourth quarter lead, 55-53 after hitting from deep yet again.
• Plymouth State led 63-61 after a Cook free throw with just over a minute to play, but Westfield State connected from beyond the arc for the 13th time to take the lead with 52 seconds to play.
• Vlahovic calmly knocked down a pair of free throws, but the Owls tied the game going one-of-two from the line on the ensuing possession.
• Vlahovic went to the line again with just 14.2 seconds left, again sinking both attempts. The Owls had one last attempt from three to win but came up short.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 27-of-61 (44.3%) from the floor and 12-of-16 (75%) from the free throw line.
• PSU out-rebounded WSU 50-38.
• The Panthers outscored the Owls 20-9 on fastbreak points.
• Points in the paint were in favor of the Panthers, 40-16.
• Plymouth State had not beat Westfield State since the 2008-2009 season.
• PSU's 67 points were the most since November 12, 2019 (76).

 
Up Next:

• The Panthers head to Eastern Nazarene College for a non-conference game on Monday evening.  Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.