Women's Hoops Falls at Bridgewater

WESTFIELD, Mass.    – Bridgewater State women's basketball clinched the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference's regular-season title with an 81-52 win over Westfield State University in a MASCAC women's basketball game at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater, Mass. on Wednesday evening.

BBridgewater (17-6, 9-1 MASCAC) entered the game leading the league, while Westfield (14-9, 5-4) are in a tie for third in the MASCAC. 

Kylie Grassi led Bridgewater state with 21 points while Hailey Burchardt added 10.

Westfield was led by 16 points from Olivia Hadla and 10 from Morgan Berthiaume.   Caroline Galvani added eight points.  Maddie Pond grabbed four steals.

The Bears sprinted out to a 43-19 lead at the half, as Grassi scored 14 points with 3-4 shooting from three-point range to help build the big lead.  Westfield forced 12 turnovers from the bears but were unable to convert those turnovers into a single point.  The Bears forced the Owls into 13 turnovers - which Bridgewater turned into 15 points.

Hadla and Berthiaume each scored five in the opening half to lead the Owls.   Westfield shot just 1-11 (9.1 percent) from behind the arc.   Westfield's 19 points in the first half was the Owls lowest output of the season.

Bears opened the second half on a 7-0 run to boost the lead to as many as 31 before Westfield's Berthiaume converted on an and-1 three-point play to stop the bleeding.  The Bears had a 23-3 run that put the game out of reach bridging the end of the second and start of third quarter.

Westfield trailed 21-10 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bears were hot from long range connecting on 4-9 three pointers in the opening 10 minutes and won the rebounding battle 13-8 with a 7-0 edge in second chance points.  The Owls connected on just 4-16 shots from the floor and 1 of 6 from three point range.

Westfield finished the game shooting just 4-20 from three-point land and committed 26 turnovers.

Westfield will play its final regular season game of the year at home on Saturday, hosting Salem State at 2:00 p.m. at the Woodward Center.    The game will be the Owls senior day, and will be a key one in the conference tournament seedings as the Owls are a game behind the Vikings in the loss column among a 3-way battle for second place and the #2 seed and a potential bye in the conference tournament.