BRIDGEWATER, Mass.  – Senior guard Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) poured in a school-record 36 points to lead top-seeded Bridgewater State University to a convincing 88-62 victory over #4 Salem State University in the semifinal round of the 2014 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Thursday evening at the Tinsley Center.

With the win, the Bears (15-11) advance to the MASCAC Championship Game for the fourth straight season and fifth time in the last seven years.  Bridgewater will host third-seeded Framingham State in the conference title game on Saturday at one.  Framingham posted a 62-53 win over #2 Westfield State in tonight's other semifinal matchup.

The visiting Vikings, who had defeated the Bears twice during the regular season, end the 2013-2014 campaign with an overall record of 13-14.

Williamson connected on 15 of 22 field goal attempts, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc, as she eclipsed Catie Furtado's single-game program mark of 35 points set against Pine Manor College in 2006.  Williamson also added a team-best nine rebounds and six steals to go along with a pair of steals.

Senior guard Elisha Homich (Ludlow, Mass.) added 16 points for the Bears on the strength of four three-pointers to go along with seven boards, six assists, four steals and two blocked shots.  Freshman forward Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) chipped in with 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting.

As a team, the Bears shot a sizzling 54% (34-63) from the floor and converted 10 of 24 (42%) three-point attempts.  Bridgewater also played terrific team defense, forcing 20 turnovers, blocking a season-high nine shots and limiting the Vikings to 36% (24-66) shooting.

Down by one (11-10) early in the contest, Bridgewater used a 20-5 run over a seven minute stretch to open up a 13-point (27-14) advantage.  Homich knocked down a trio of three-pointers during the run, while senior forward Tatyana Belizaire (Cambridge, Mass.) scored four points on a pair of layups.

The Bears got up by as many as 19 (43-24) in the first half and took a commanding 43-26 lead into the intermission.  Williamson scored 18 of her 36 points in the opening twenty minutes.  Bridgewater shot 55% (17-31) from the floor in the first half including 7-for-14 (50%) from three-point range.

Salem could only close the gap to as few as 14 points (54-40) in the second half while Bridgewater extended its lead to as much as 32 on two separate occasions.

Junior guard Rachael Carter (Merrimack, N.H.) paced the Vikings with 32 points, while senior forward Ginny Fleming (Peabody, Mass.) added ten points and eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks.  Carter was 11-for-23 from the floor and 9-for-10 at the free throw line.

Notes: Williamson, the Bears' all-time scoring leader, set a BSU career mark for games played with 107.  She also increased her career scoring total to 1,323 points.... Williamson also became the first player in program history to make 200 three-pointers....With her 16 points, Homich moved into tenth place on the Bears' all-time scoring list as she now has 1,073 points in her career.