WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Sophomore guard Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) scored a career-high 29 points, including 23 in the second half, to lead the Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 72-67 victory over Westfield State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) game on Saturday, Feb. 4.
Bridgewater remains in first place in the MASCAC with an 8-1 record. The Bears are 15-6 overall with six straight victories and 10 wins in their last 11 starts. Westfield is 4-5 and 11-11.
There were seven lead changes in the key game between the conference rivals, with Bridgewater surviving a late comeback by Westfield.
The Owls actually led by eight points early in the second half but sparked by seven points from Williamson and three consecutive layups by teammates, the Bears went on a 13-0 run over a six-minute span to take a 55-50 lead with 9:18 remaining.
Bridgewater, which shot a sizzling 61 percent from the field in the second half, built its lead to eight points, 62-54, on a Williamson jumper at the 6:01 mark.
Despite struggling on the offensive end for much of the second half, the Owls gradually cut into the Bears' lead, with one of the big shots a three-point basket from NBA range by Courtney Kegresse (Adams, Mass.) that made it 63-61 Bridgewater with 4:37 remaining.
Westfield trailed by three, 66-63, when it scored four quick points to take a short-lived lead, 67-66, with 1:08 remaining. Westfield junior guard Jenny Bell (Northampton, Mass.) made a layup then freshman guard Jen Ashton (Beverly, Mass.) stole the ball and midcourt and dropped in an easy layup for the one-point Owl advantage.
But Bridgewater finished the game with a 6-0 run. Senior forward Monica-Sabina Bharoocha (North Smithfield, R.I.) made her only field goal of the game, a jumper in the lane, to give the Bears a 68-67 lead with 49 seconds remaining.
Bell missed two free throws for Westfield 14 seconds later then Williamson drained four free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the Bear victory.
Westfield took an early 13-4 lead in the see-saw game but the Bears went ahead 22-21 on Ciara Shaughnessy's (Lowell, Mass.) three-point basket with 8:09 left in the first half. The Owls ended the half with a 7-0 run to take a 37-31 intermission advantage.
The Bears shot 49 percent for the game led by Williamson, who was 11 for 15 from the field and made three big 3-point baskets in the second half. Senior forward Shelly DePina (New Bedford, Mass.) posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and also had three blocks. Junior guard Michaela Cosby (Walpole, Mass.) scored 16 points, including an 8-for-11 effort from the foul line.
Westfield was led in scoring by two freshmen. Ashton compiled 24 points, 11 rebounds and game-high five steals. Ashton ranks fourth nationally in the NCAA Division III in steals per game (4.7).
Freshman center Gabby Felix (Springfield, Mass.) had 14 points and seven rebounds. Bell finished with 10 points, seven boards and a game-high seven assists.