By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Here's a look at the week ahead (Dec. 1-7) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:
TUESDAY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 7:00 PM: The Bears and Engineers meet for the 20th time with WPI holding a 10-9 edge in the series.
BSU is off to a 1-2 start, losing its last two games, while the Engineers are 3-2 and have won two in a row.
The Bears won last season's game, 63-61, with Kylee Piche scoring 24 points and hitting two key foul shots in the final seconds.
WEDNESDAY
MEN'S BASKETBALL, at Tufts University, 5:30 PM: The Bears, 1-5 and 0-3 on the road, travel to Medford, Mass., for a non-conference game with the Jumbos.
Tufts is 5-2 with five straight wins, defeating Suffolk, Emerson, Yeshiva, MIT and Keene State.
The Jumbos were ranked fourth in the national Division III poll to start the season and enter the week at No. 22.
BSU lost to Tufts, 94-72, last season in the first meeting since 2007.
FRIDAY
WRESTLING, at the 54th Messiah Petrofes Invitational, Noon: The Bears will be in Grantham, Pa., for the tournament hosted by Messiah University.
BSU was 12th a year ago with Christian Curley going 5-2 to finish fifth at 197 pounds while Michael Hopkins was sixth at 174 pounds with a 5-3 mark.
This is one of two competitions for the Bears in December.
SATURDAY
WRESTLING, at the 54th Messiah Petrofes Invitational, 9:30 AM: The second and final day of the tournament takes place at Messiah University.
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Suffolk Relays, 10:00 AM: The 2025-26 indoor season begins at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Mass.
Last season, the Bears' top finisher was Kiara Abrantes, who was second in the 400.
BSU has two meets before the semester break.
MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD, at the Suffolk Relays, 10:00 AM: The Bears start the indoor season with a meet that includes competitors from all three divisions.
Chigozie Adigwe was second for BSU in the 60-meter hurdles a year ago.
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING, at home, the BSU Invitational, 11:00 AM: The Bears won the event a year ago with 810 points ahead of second-place Plymouth State with 278 points.
Desmond Ng won the 50 and 200 breaststroke and the 400 individual medley for BSU while teammate Jirat Saengthong was first in the 50 and 200 freestyle and the 100 individual medley.
The Bears will be idle until Jan. 17 after this meet.
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING, at home, the BSU Invitational, 11:00 AM: The Bears host a seven-team competition that they won a year ago with 698 points ahead of Westfield State with 321.
Cailey Simard won the 1- and 3-meter diving events last season as BSU was first in 12 of 21 events.
MEN'S BASKETBALL, at Rivier, Noon: The Bears finish a three-game road trip in Nashua, N.H., against the Raiders (4-4) at the Muldoon Center.
It is the first meeting between BSU and Rivier, a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, at home, Babson College, 1:00 PM: The Bears defeated Babson, 79-74, in overtime a year ago, outscoring the hosts, 11-5, down the stretch in regulation to force the extra session.
Babson, off to a 4-4 start, has a 19-5 lead in the series that started in 1988.