By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Here's a look at the week ahead (Dec. 29-Jan. 4) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:
TUESDAY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, vs. the University of Redlands, 3:00 PM: The Bears finish their two-game trip to Las Vegas, Nev. with a game against the Bulldogs of California at the South Point Arena in the D3hoops.com Classic.
Redlands is 6-1 with a four-game winning streak heading into a game on Monday against Wesleyan University.
The Bulldogs play in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
BSU (1-7) is looking to rebound from an overtime loss to Whittier College at the D3hoops.com Classic on Sunday.
MEN'S BASKETBALL, vs. Central College, 7:00 PM: The Bears conclude their stay in the D3hoops.com Classic before flying home after the game. BSU broke a four-game losing streak by defeating Whittier on Sunday.
Central, located in Iowa, is 5-5 heading into Monday's game against Occidental in Las Vegas. The Dutch are 0-3 in the American Rivers Conference.
This will be BSU's 11th and final non-conference game of the season. The Bears open the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule on Jan. 7 at Fitchburg State University.
SATURDAY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, at Smith College, 2:00 PM: The Bears final tune-up before the MASCAC season begins is against a nationally-ranked team that has played in the NCAA Division III championship game the past two years.
BSU travels to Northampton, Mass., to take on Smith at Ainsworth Gym in its next-to-last non-conference game of the season.
Smith is off to a 7-0 start and is ranked No. 3 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll behind New York University and Scranton and No. 4 in the D3hoops.com poll.
Smith lost to NYU in the national final last season, 77-49, finishing 31-3, and was also defeated by NYU in the 2024 championship game, 51-41.
BSU lost at home to Smith last January, 83-50.
The Bears play the MASCAC opener after facing Smith, traveling to Fitchburg State on Jan. 7.