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Courtesy Bridgewater State Sports Information

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Led by tournament MVP, senior forward Shelly DePina (New Bedford, Mass.), the Bridgewater State University women’s basketball team stamped their ticket to the NCAA Division III Championships as the top-seeded Bears defeated number three seed MCLA, 76-66, in the title game of the 2012 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The MASCAC Tournament championship marks the Bears second straight and third in the last five years.  Bridgewater improves to 19-7 with the win and will await word on the NCAA Tournament pairings which will be announced on Tuesday.  MCLA falls to 15-13 on the season and will look to a possible ECAC Division III New England Tournament bid.

DePina poured in a career-high 28 points on 10 of 15 shooting, including 3-for-4 from three-point range, and pulled down seven rebounds (five offensive) to go along with three blocked shots.  She averaged 23 points, five rebounds, two blocks and 2.5 steals in BSU’s two games during the tournament and shot a scorching 72% (18-25) from the floor.

Sophomore guard Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) added 17 points, six boards, and four steals for the Bears. Williamson was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe with six of those free throws coming in the final minute and a half.  Senior forward Monica-Sabina Bharoocha (North Smithfield, R.I.) chipped in with 15 points, four assists, two blocks and six steals.

MCLA was led by junior guard Lucy Tremblay (East Greenbush, N.Y.) who tallied 16 points, five rebounds and two steals.  Tremblay connected on 4 of 9 three-point field goal attempts.  Senior center Jen Wehner (Cooperstown, N.Y.) posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards (six offensive) to go along with four blocks, while senior forward Alie Dobrovolc (Little Falls, N.Y.) and sophomore guard Danielle Scolpino (Bethel, Conn.) chipped in with 14 and ten points, respectively.

After spotting MCLA a quick 3-0 lead on a Tremblay three-pointer, the Bears reeled off 11 straight points and would never trail again.  Bridgewater would hold a 31-27 edge at the intermission and got up by as many as 15 points in the final stanza.

Leading 66-51 with 5:58 left to play, the Bears went scoreless over the next four minutes and saw their advantage slip to just five (66-61) as MCLA scored ten unanswered points.  Williamson stopped the run with a pair of free throws with 1:16 remaining.  After two missed Trailblazer free throws, Williamson knocked down two more, to build the lead back to nine (70-61) as the clock ticked down under a minute.  Bridgewater would connect on 4 of 6 from the charity stripe over the final 52 seconds to secure the victory.  

Bridgewater forced 26 Trailblazer turnovers thanks in large part to 18 steals led by sophomore forward Meghan Boutilette’s (Charlton, Mass.) game-high seven.  Boutilette also finished with a team-best 11 rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked two shots.  

The Bears also won the rebounding battle as they held a 33-28 advantage on the boards including a 12-9 edge on the offensive glass, and limited MCLA to just three second chance points.

Both teams shot the ball effectively with Bridgewater connecting on 44% (23-52) of its field goal attempts and MCLA 46% (24-52).  The Bears were 5-for-10 from three point range and finished 25-for-34 (74%) from the free throw line.  The Trailblazers dropped in six trifectas on 14 tries (43%) and converted 12 of 17 free throws (71%).

Notes: Bridgewater will head to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the seventh time in program history.  The Bears also made the trip in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2008 and 2011.  DePina increased her career scoring output to 1,143 points as she ranks fifth all-time at BSU.