Women's Basketball Posts 76-53 Win over Thiel at NYU Tip-Off Classic

NEW YORK, N.Y. –- Freshman forward Arielle Cleveland (Groveland, Mass.) posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 76-53 victory over Thiel College on Sunday afternoon at the NYU Tip-Off Classic.

The Bears improve to 5-1 on the season with the win, while the Tomcats fall to 1-5.

Playing in just her second game this season, Cleveland connected on 5 of 8 field goal attempts in 20 minutes off the bench as she was selected to the All-Tournament Team. Six of Cleveland's game-high ten rebounds came off the offensive glass and she also added an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.

Junior guard Sophia Gaucher (Lakeville, Mass.) checked in with 11 points, four rebounds and four steals for the Bears, while senior guard Olivia Dziadyk (Wakefield, Mass.) tallied ten points, three rebounds and three assists.

Senior guard Rachel Breckenridge (Burton, Ohio) poured in a game high 23 points to lead the way for the Tomcats. Breckenridge connected on 7 of 12 three-point field goals and went 2-for-3 at the free throw line.

Junior forward Destiny Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) added 12 points and eight rebounds for Thiel, while sophomore forward Rebecca Litz (Brookfield, Ohio) notched six points and nine boards.

Trailing 10-6 in the first quarter following a Breckenridge trifecta, the Bears closed out the opening period with a 13-2 run to pull ahead, 10-12. Five different players scored during the game-changing spurt. Bridgewater would take a 37-20 lead into the intermission and held a 57-31 advantage after three quarters of play. The Bears go up by as many as 30 points (61-31) in the final period and coasted to the 76-53 win.

The Bears shot 39.5% (30-76) from the floor and knocked down 14 of 19 (73.7%) free throw attempts. The Tomcats went 8-for-23 (34.8%) from three-point range, but connected on just 10 of 36 (27.7%) field goal attempts from inside the arc. Thiel also struggled at the free throw line going 9-for-24 (37.5%) at the stripe.

The Bears' defense forced 28 turnovers which led to a 29-12 edge in points off turnovers. The BSU bench outscored the Thiel reserves by a decided margin of 41-6. 
 
The Bears, who went 1-1 at the NYU Tip-Off Classic, are back in action on Tuesday evening when they travel to Rhode Island College for a 5:30 game with the Anchorwomen. The Tomcats will host Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) rival Geneva College on Wednesday, December 1st at 5:30 PM.