Bridgewater, Mass.--Senior guard Jessa Rubera (Newton, MA) scored a team-best 19 points, which included five three pointers, to go along with three rebounds and two steals to lead the Rhode Island College women's basketball team to a 66-55 victory at Bridgewater State on Tuesday evening. The Anchorwomen are now 4-0 to start the 2017-18 campaign, the best start to a season since the 2009-10 squad that opened the year with a 6-0 mark.
THE BASICS
Rhode Island College 66, Bridgewater State 55
(Rhode Island College 4-0)
(Bridgewater State 1-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
• RIC sophomore guard Jordyn Gauvin (Fall River, MA), the reigning Little East Conference Player of the Week, added 17 points, four rebounds and two steals in the victory.
• Sophomore forward Ornela Livramento (Pawtucket, RI) recorded a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Anchorwomen.
• Freshman forward Destiny Fitzgerald (Medford, MA) paced Bridgewater State with a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds.
• Senior forward Chanelle Melton (Brockton, MA) added 11 points, a pair of rebounds and three assists in the loss for the Bears.
• Bridgewater State jumped out to 19-9 advantage after one period of play.
• An 11-2 run extended the BSU lead to 30-13 with 2:30 minutes left to play in the first half. The Bears would take a 34-20 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime.
• Back-to-back three-pointers by Rubera to open the second half jumpstarted a RIC rally as the Anchorwomen outscored the Bears, 26-12, in the third quarter. Consecutive trifectas from Rubera completed the comeback and knotted the score, 44-44, with 1:14 remaining in the period. Each team scored a basket in the final minute as the game was tied at 46-46 heading into the fourth.
• The early stages of the fourth quarter saw two ties and one lead change. A Gauvin jumper with 5:38 remaining put RIC up for to stay and Rubera followed that up with a layup to make it a four-point game, 54-50.
• Melton converted a traditional three-point play to pull the Bears to within one with 4:03 left on the scoreboard. The Bears had back-to-back chances to take the lead but turned the ball over on both possessions. Rubera then drained another three-pointer to put the visitors up 57-53 with 2:15 remaining. RIC would go 7-for-8 at the free throw line the rest of the way as the Anchorwomen pulled away for the victory.
• The Anchorwomen shot 63.0 percent (17-of-27) from the floor over the final 20 minutes, which included 5-for-8 from behind the three-point arc. RIC also forced 14 turnovers in the second half which led directly to 18 points.
BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the field, 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from the three-point line and 78.9 percent (15-of-19) from the free throw line.
• Bridgewater State shot 47.1 percent (24-of-46) from the field, 25.0 percent (2-of-8) from the three-point line and 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from the free throw line.
• RIC outrebounded Bridgewater State by a 38-6 margin and forced the Bears into 23 turnovers.
UP NEXT
• In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will travel to Roger Williams on Sunday, Nov. 26 (4 p.m.).