Hamilton College's Kayla Glemaud '21 scored a career-high 17 points and the Continentals posted a 74-68 win against the Bridgewater State University Bears in the Nashville Music City Classic at Trevecca Nazarene University's Trojan Field House on Sunday evening.
Hamilton (9-1 overall) pushed its win streak to five games and will go for six in a row on Monday, Dec. 30 when they take on Carroll University in Nashville, Tenn., at noon Eastern time. The Continentals helped force 25 Bridgewater State turnovers by coming up with 15 steals. Hamilton, which was playing for the first time in more than two weeks, took the lead for good with an 11-1 run late in the second quarter.
The Bears (2-8) lost their fourth straight game and dropped to 0-3 against NESCAC opponents. Bridgewater State shot 33.3 percent (24-72) from the field.
Glemaud was 8 of 11 from the floor in just her fifth career start with the Continentals. Kelcie Zarle '22 scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half and added seven rebounds and three steals. Zarle leads the conference with 29 steals this season. Carly O'Hern '20 chipped in nine points and four assists. Scout Lansing '21 handed out four assists, Claire Sehring '22 blocked three shots and Liz Arnold '22 was credited with three steals.
Kylee Piché paced the Bears with 21 points and Nicole Bostick dropped in 10. Destiny Fitzgerald grabbed 14 boards and blocked two shots, Maggie Hester dished out four assists and Ainsley Jolin collected three steals.
Bridgewater State scored the first five points and led for most of the first quarter. The Bears took their largest lead of six points at 17-11 on a 3-pointer by Piché with 1:09 left in the first.
Hamilton bridged the end of the first quarter and the start of the second with a 16-3 run. Glemaud scored the Continentals' first six points of the second quarter and a free throw by Marie Steiner '20 gave Hamilton a 27-20 advantage with 7:02 remaining.
Bridgewater State tied the score one last time with seven consecutive points, but the Continentals ended the half with an 11-1 spurt and led the rest of the way. A jumper by Glemaud made it 29-27 with 3:11 to go and, after a free throw by Jolin, Lansing canned a jumper. Sehring added a jumper and two free throws, Emma Sehring '23 scored in the paint and Olivia Davis '23 made a free throw for a 38-28 cushion with 11 seconds left.
A 3-pointer by Zarle handed Hamilton its biggest advantage of 13 points at 41-28 with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter. The Bears, who shot 52.6 percent (10-19) from the floor in the third, chipped away at the Continentals' lead and drew within one point at 50-49 on a Sydney Bradbury layup with 2:04 to go. An old-fashioned three-point play by Glemaud with 11 seconds left gave Hamilton a 55-51 edge that it took into the fourth quarter.
Bridgewater State cut its deficit to two points at 57-55 on a Fitzgerald layup early in the fourth, but the Continentals took control with an 11-3 run. Glemaud, O'Hern and Claire Sehring made baskets before a three-point play by Piche. Arnold nailed a 3-pointer and Davis made it 68-58 on a jumper with 3:36 remaining. Zarle went 4-for-4 at the line in the final 20 seconds and the Bears didn't get closer than four points down the stretch.