Five Score in Double Figures as Women's Basketball Posts 74-50 Win over UMass Boston

BOSTON, Mass. – Five Bears scored in double-figures as the visiting Bridgewater State University women's basketball team cruised to a 74-50 victory over UMass Boston on Thursday evening at the Clark Athletic Center.

The Bears improve to 4-8 on the season, while the host Beacons fall to 9-3. Bridgewater is now 27-10 all-time versus UMass as the series dates back to 1983.

Sophomore center Destiny Fitzgerald (Medford, Mass.) recorded her first double-double of the season to lead the way for Bridgewater State. Fitzgerald scored 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting and pulled down a game and season-high 11 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. Six of her 11 boards came on the offensive glass and she also added two assists, a steal and a pair of blocked shots.

BSU senior forward Kailyn Aguiar (Acushnet, Mass.) scored a team-best 16 points to go along with nine rebounds (five offensive), two assists and three steals, while senior guard Olivia DelGrosso (Ledyard, Conn.) notched 15 points, four boards and two steals.

Senior guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) and junior forward Kayla Carter (Beverly, Mass.) tallied ten points apiece to round out the Bears' double-digit point producers. DaSilva also dished out three assists and recorded a pair of steals, while Carter grabbed a season-high nine boards (three offensive) and blocked two shots.

The Bears dominated play from the start as they used runs of 12-0 and 12-2 to open up a 21-point lead (31-10) with 3:15 remaining in the second quarter. DelGrosso scored seven points during the 12-0 spurt, while Fitzgerald tallied all eight of her first-half points to highlight the 12-2 run. At one point, UMass went scoreless for just over a nine-minute stretch. Bridgewater would ultimately take a 35-17 advantage into the break.

DelGrosso led all players with nine points over the first 20 minutes, while Fitzgerald added eight on perfect 4 of 4 shooting.  The Bears shot 47% (15-32) from the floor in the first half including 3-for-8 (38%) from behind the arc and held a 20-6 edge in points in the paint.  Bridgewater used a strong defensive effort  to force 14 turnovers, while the Bears held the Beacons to just 20% (5-25) shooting over the first two periods.

Bridgewater carried the momentum into the second half as the Bears outscored the Beacons 14-4 over the first 5 ½ minutes of the third quarter to open up their biggest lead of the game at 28 (49-21). A 13-4 run to close out the third quarter pulled UMass to within 19 (53-34) as the game entered the final period.

A traditional three-point play by sophomore forward Geanna Williams (Cromwell, Conn.) to open the fourth quarter made it a 16-point game (53-37). The Bears, however, answered with six straight points, including four from Fitzgerald, to push the lead back up to 22 (59-37) as the clock ticked under eight minutes. UMass got to within 16 points (64-48) with 3:48 left to play, but Bridgewater ended the game with a 10-2 run to put the finishing touches on the 74-50 victory.

Williams paced UMass with a game-high 18 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Williams connected on 8 of 11 field goals and also finished with six rebounds (five offensive).

The Bears shot 44% (28-63) for the game and held the Beacons to 31% (19-62) shooting. Bridgewater finished with a 42-35 rebounding advantage, including a slight 17-15 edge on the offensive boards, and forced 24 turnovers thanks in part to 13 steals.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon at one. The Bears host Johnson & Wales University, while the Beacons travel to Little East Conference rival UMass Dartmouth.