BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team coasted to an 83-53 victory over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) foe Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater.
Winners of three consecutive games and seven of their last eight, the Bears improve to 12-6 on the season and 6-1 in the MASCAC. The visiting Falcons slide to 14-5 overall and 2-5 in conference play with their fourth straight setback.
Sophomore forward Megan Boutilette (Charlton, Mass.) paced the hosts with eight points, 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Senior forward Monica-Sabina Bharoocha (North Smithfield, R.I.) added 13 points, five assists and three steals for the Bears, while classmate Shelly DePina (New Bedford, Mass.) notched 14 points, seven boards, three assists and a pair of blocks. Sophomore guard Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) chipped in with ten points, five caroms, eight assists and two steals.
Bridgewater jumped out to a 21-3 lead after the first nine minutes of the contest. Fitchburg would use a 7-0 run later in the opening stanza to cut the deficit to 11 (29-18). The Bears, however, tallied the next nine points capped off by a three-pointer by senior guard Ciara Shaughnessy (Lowell, Mass.) to open up a commanding 20-point advantage (38-18). Bridgewater would take a 40-23 lead into the intermission.
The Bears continued to dominate play in the second half getting up by as many as 35 points (74-39) before settling for the 83-53 triumph.
Bridgewater shot 45% (31-69) for the game including 8-for-18 (44%) from three-point range. The Bears also received some solid play from their bench led by Shaughnessy's nine points. The BSU reserves outscored their counterparts from Fitchburg by a margin of 28-3.
The Falcons struggled with their shooting throughout the game, knocking down just 24% (18-75) of their field goal attempts including just 1-for-15 from behind the arc.
Sophomore forward Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.) led the way for Fitchburg as she posted a double-double with 21 points and 18 rebounds. Classmate Laura Cote (Ashby, Mass.) added 18 points, four boards, four assists and four steals.
Prior to the game, the Bears honored DePina who, in this past Wednesday's 62-57 win at MCLA, became the 14th player in BSU women's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
In upcoming action, Bridgewater travels to MASCAC foe Framingham State University on Tuesday night to take on the Rams at 6:00 PM. Fitchburg entertains those same Rams next Saturday afternoon at one.