BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) scored 31 points to lead the Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 79-74 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University in the semifinal round of the 2024 BSU Cave Classic on Friday evening at the Tinsley Center.

With the win, the Bears (3-1) advance to the tournament championship game and will take on Emerson College on Saturday afternoon at two o'clock. Emerson downed the University of New England in the other semifinal matchup, 65-46. Eastern Connecticut (0-5) will face UNE in the consolation game tomorrow at noon.

Grassi connected on 9 of 21 field goals attempts, including 3-for-9 from behind the arc, and went 10-for-13 at the free throw line. She also added five rebounds (two offensive), two assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

Grassi moved into second place on the Bears' all-time scoring list as she now has 1,287 points in her BSU career. She surpassed Carolyn Parsley, who notched 1,262 points from 1982 to 1986, and Laurie Berryman, who tallied 1,265 points from 1992 to 1996.

The Bears also received 15 points, four rebounds (three offensive), five assists and four steals from graduate student Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, Mass.), and nine points as well as six rebounds (four offensive) from senior Jordan Peebles (Middleboro, Mass.). Piche knocked down 7 of 9 field goal attempts.

Senior Taylor Salato (East Haven, Conn.) paced Eastern with double-double totals of 24 points and a game-high 11 rebounds (five offensive) to go along with two assists and two steals. Salato was 11-for-19 from the floor.

Freshman Liv Cassesse (Wallingford, Conn.) checked in with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and four steals for the Warriors while sophomore Marissa Nudd (Colchester, Conn.) added ten points, four rebounds (three offensive) and three assists.

The Bears led 28-17 at the end of one and held a 14-point lead (41-27) with 4:20 remaining in the second quarter following back-to-back jumpers from Grassi and freshman Bridgitt O'Sullivan-Van Etten (Cumberland, R.I.).

Bridgewater, however, would not score again in the period as the Warriors closed out the first half with an 18-0 run to take a 45-41 lead into the break. Salato scored ten points during the game-changing spurt while Cassesse notched six.

After being outscored 28-17 in the first quarter, the Warrior turned things around in the second session outscoring the Bears, 28-13.

Eastern shot 53% (17-32) from the floor and 83% (10-12) at the free throw line over the first 20 minutes with Salato leading the way with 16 first-half points and Cassesse contributing 12.

Grassi paced Bridgewater State with 16 points in the first half. The Bears shot just 38.5% (15-39) over the first two periods.

Trailing 61-57 late in the third quarter, the Bears got back-to-back uncontested layup from Peebles and Grassi over the final 35 seconds to knot the score at 61-61 heading into the final period.

Bridgewater carried the momentum into the fourth quarter tallying seven of the first nine points to pull ahead 68-63. Grassi tallied five points and Peebles notched four during what amounted to an 11-2 run.

The two teams combined for 13 miscues in a turnover plagued fourth quarter.

The Bears never trailed in the period and clung to a 72-70 lead following a Kya Mayo (Sr., Middletown, Conn.) three-pointer with 4:26 left to play in the contest. Following the Mayo trifecta, the BSU defense stood tall allowing just one field goal and forcing two turnovers over the next four-plus minutes.

A layup by Piche and pair of free throws from senior Jessica D'Amours (Feeding Hills, Mass.) extended the BSU lead to 76-70.

A Salato layup cut the Eastern deficit to four (76-72) with 1:38 showing on the scoreboard. After a stop, the Warriors had a chance to make it a one-possession game but could not convert.

Grassi went 3-for-4 at the line over the final 36 seconds to seal the win.

Bridgewater shot 40.8% (29-71) for the game and finished 5-for-19 (26.3%) from three-point range and 16-for-23 (69.6%) at the free throw line. The Bears held a 19-11 advantage in points off turnovers and a slight 17-15 edged in second chance points. The BSU bench outscored the Eastern reserves, 27-7.

The Warriors finished with shooting percentage of 46.7% (28-60) from the floor, 22.2% (2-9) from long-range and 80% (16-20) at the charity stripe. Eastern committed 20 turnovers thanks in large part to 12 BSU steals.

The two teams were meeting for the first time since November of 2015, a 70-49 ECSU victory in the championship game of the 36th Annual Eastern Tip-Off Tournament.