Bears Hold Off Owls, 76-59

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Sophomore forward Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 76-59 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Westfield State University on Wednesday night at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 13-4 on the season and 4-0 in the MASCAC with their sixth straight win, while the Owls fall to 9-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play. Bridgewater has won each of the last four meetings of the two teams.

Grassi connected on 6 of 10 field goal attempts and went 8-for-9 from the free throw line. She also added five rebounds, three assists, four steals and a blocked shot.

BSU sophomore forward Arielle Cleveland (Groveland, Mass.) notched her first double-double of the season and third of her career. Cleveland tallied ten points and a season-high 13 rebounds (five offensive) to go along with a block. The Bears also received 13 points, seven rebounds (three offensive), three assists and two steals from senior guard Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, Mass.) as well as 11 points two rebounds, two assists and a steal from senior guard Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.). Senior forward Sophia Gaucher (Lakeville, Mass.) chipped in with seven points, six rebounds (three offensive), two assists and two steals.

Junior guard Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) paced Westfield State with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals, while freshman guard Octaviana Williams (Springfield, Mass.) registered eight points, ten rebounds (six offensive), an assist and four steals.

The first quarter featured three ties and one lead change. Back-to-back layups by junior guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth, Mass.) to close out the period gave the hosts an 18-14 lead after one. Bridgewater would not trail again. The Bears scored the final six points of the second quarter, including four by Piche, to take a 35-26 lead into the break. Grassi led all players with eight first-half points, while Bradbury checked in with seven. Hadla paced the Owls with seven points in the first half.

The two teams combined for 29 turnovers over the first two quarters.

Bridgewater shot 46.7% (14-30) from the floor in the first half and went 6-for-8 (75%) at the free throw line. The Bears, however, converted just 1 of 7 (14.3%) from behind the arc. The Bears outscored the Owls 20-2 in the paint over the first 20 minutes.

Westfield connected on just 7 of 34 field goals attempts in the first half, including 4-for-12 (33%) from behind the arc, and went 8-for-12 (66.7%) at the stripe. The Owls held a 14-6 advantage on the offensive glass which led to a 10-4 edge in second chance points.

A layup by Piche with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter gave the Bears and 11-point lead (43-32). Bridgewater would maintain a double-digit advantage the rest of the way. The Bears closed out the third period with an 8-2 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Grassi and sophomore guard Eryn Rice (Medway, Mass.), to take a 58-42 lead into the final session.

The Owls scored six of the first eight points of the fourth quarter, including a pair of driving layups from Hadla, to pull within 12 at 60-88. Bridgewater, however, answered with a 6-0 spurt capped off by a traditional three-point play from Tripp, to push the advantage up to 18 (66-48) with 6:48 left to play. Westfield would get no closer than 15 the rest of the way. The Bears got up by as many as 19 points (74-55) late in the quarter before settling for the 76-59 win.

Bridgewater shot 45.9% (28-61) for the game and finished 17-for-23 (73.9%) at the charity stripe. The BSU defensive limited Westfield to 27.9% (19-68) shooting. Neither team shot well from behind the arc with the Bears converting 3 of 14 (21.4%) three-point field goals and the Owls knocking down just 6 of 22 (27.3%). Westfield also struggled at the line connecting on just 15 of 28 (53.6%) free throw attempts.

The Owls forced 31 turnovers while committing 25 miscues. The Bears, however, finished with a 30-23 edge in points off turnovers as well as a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.

The Bears travel to Fitchburg State University on a Saturday afternoon for a two o'clock MASCAC game with the Falcons. The Owls are off until next Wednesday night when they host Fitchburg State at 7:30.