Bridgewater State rolls past Women’s Basketball in MASCAC action

Courtesy of Bridgewater State Sports Information

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team cruised to an 81-24 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting MCLA on Wednesday at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 15-4 on the season and a perfect 6-0 in the MASCAC with their eighth straight win, while the visiting Trailblazers fall to 3-15 overall and 0-6 in conference play. Bridgewater is 76-8 all-time versus MCLA dating back to the 1983-1984 campaign. The Bears have also won each of the last 24 meetings between the two teams.

Sophomore forward Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with a game-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Sophomore guard Eryn Rice (Medway, Mass.) added 15 points and four rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench for the Bears while senior guard Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) notched 12 points, four rebounds, six assists and three steals, and sophomore forward Arielle Cleveland (Groveland, Mass.) checked in with nine points and a game-best 11 rebounds (six offensive).

Eight different players scored for the hosts. Senior center Emma Fenton (Bourne, Mass.) set career bests with nine points and six rebounds in just 14 minutes off the bench. Sophomore forward Jordan Peebles (Middleboro, Mass.) contributed six points, seven boards, three assists and two blocks off the pine. The BSU bench finished with 30 points on the evening.

Senior guard Olivia Pressley (Cobleskill, N.Y.) led MCLA with seven points and seven rebounds.

Bridgewater held MCLA to single digits in every quarter. The 24 points marked the fewest the Bears have allowed in a game since the 1988-1989 season (22 against the Trailblazers).

The BSU defense forced 22 turnovers and held the Trailblazers to 16.7% (8-48) shooting. The Bears also finished with a 58-34 rebounding advantage with a 24-8 edge on the offensive glass.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Saturday afternoon at two o'clock. The Bears entertain Framingham State University, while the Trailblazers travel to Westfield State University.