FRAMINGHAM, Mass. –Thanks to 21 second half points from senior guard Jenna Williamson(Ludlow, Mass.), the Bridgewater State University Bears were able to escape with an 81-76 victory over the Framingham State Rams in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's basketball contest at Framingham's Athletic Center.
Williamson hit five second-half three pointers and finished with a game and season-high 29 points to help improve the Bears to 8-7 on the season and 2-1 in the MASCAC. The win marked BSU head coach Bridget Casey's 250 career victory (250-178, .584). Junior guardRachel Kusz (Worcester, Mass.) was the only other Bear to reach double-digits with 11 points, although ten different players scored.
Junior guard Nicole Bostic (Easton, Mass.) had a game-high 20 points for the Rams, 12 of which came in the first half. Bostic also notched nine rebounds and four assists. Freshman forward Sarah Palace (Auburn, Mass.) finished with a double-double scoring a career-high 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Bridgewater State came into the game averaging a league high 72.8 points per game, and scored 51 in the second half after trailing 31-30 at the half.
With the loss, the Rams are now 6-8 on the season and begin 0-3 to start conference play with all three losses coming by five points or less.
The entertaining second half featured back and forth action as the Bears climbed out to a 10 points lead, before senior guard Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) scored her first field goal of the game and tallied five straight points for the Rams to cut the deficit back to five.
Hoffman finished the game with 17 points, despite only having two at the half, and finished with two steals on the night. Hoffman is now the third all-time leading women's basketball scorer in school history and moved into second place all-time in steals.
Framingham State found themselves trailing by nine with under five minutes remaining before five straight points from Palace once again got the Rams back into the game.
After a pair of free throws by Williamson gave the Bears a five point lead junior guardJohanna Annunziata (Auburn, Mass.) hit a big three-pointer for the Rams to make it 78-76 with just 38.8 seconds remaining.
On the next possession for the Bears the Rams fouled and freshman guard Jennie Lindland(Edgartown, Mass.) knocked down a pair of free throws to make it once again a two possession game.
The Rams failed to score on their next possession to finally put the game away for the Bears whom will next host UMass Boston on Thursday in non-conference action.
As for the Rams, they will now travel to MCLA on Saturday looking for their first conference win on the season.
Notes: With her five three-pointers, Williamson increased her career total to 177. Williamson needs just three trifectas to equal Corey Cuddihy's (2007-2011) all-time program mark of 180.