Women's Basketball Posts 95-86 MASCAC Win over Westfield

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Freshman forward Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) and senior guard Hannah Dziadyk (Wakefield, Mass.) tallied 23 points apiece and freshman center Jannise Avelino (Peabody, Mass.) recorded a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead the visiting Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 95-86 victory over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rivel Westfield State University on Wednesday evening at the Woodward Center.

The Bears improve to 9-6 on the season and 1-1 in the MASCAC, while the Owls fall to 7-8 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

Grassi connected on 7 of 17 field goal attempts and went 9-for-10 from the free throw line. She also added four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. The 23 points marked a career-high.

Dziadyk knocked down 7 of 12 field goal attempts, including 5-for-7 from behind the arc, and was a perfect 4-for-4  at the charity stripe. She also pulled down six rebounds, dished out four assist and notched a steal.

Avelino set career-highs in both points and rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. She finished 5-for-8 from the floor, 6-for-8 at the line and five of her game-best 15 boards came on the offensive glass. The double-double marked the first of Avelino's career.

Junior guard Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) added 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Bears, while sophomore guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth, Mass.) recorded a career-high ten points and five assists in 25 minutes off the bench.

Sophomore forward Jordan Grant (Gray, Maine) paced Westfield State with 19 points, ten rebounds, a pair of steals and two blocked shots in 16 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Alison Mendel (Adams, Mass.) added 16 points for the Owls while senior guard Melissa Gray (Peabody, Mass.) checked in with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals.

The Owls used a 13-0 first-quarter run to open up a 22-7 advantage. Six different players scored during the spurt.  Westfield led 28-12 at the end of one and maintained a double-digit advantage until the 3:10 mark of the second quarter.  A Grassi layup, part of a 12-2 BSU run, pulled the Bears to within nine. A pair of free throws from Avelino capped off the run and cut the deficit to five (59-54) with 41 seconds left to play in the first half. Westfield would take a 60-34 lead into the break.

A Lila Labrie (Southampton, Mass.) three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the hosts an eight-point lead at 44-36. The Bears then reeled off eight straight points with a Grassi jumper knotting the score at 44-44 with seven minutes remaining in the period.

The rest of the game featured nine lead changes and two ties. A jumper by sophomore guard Olivia Hadla (Westfield, Mass.) at the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter gave the Owls their final lead of the game at 65-64. Moments later, a layup by freshman guard Eryn Rice (Medway, Mass.) jumpstarted a 17-4 BSU run over a three-minute stretch as the Bears took their biggest lead of the game, 81-69, with 4:11 left to play following a Grassi layup. Bridgewater connected for a trio of three-pointers during the decisive run including two from Dziadyk and one by Bradbury. The Bears went 14-for-16 from the free throw line in the final three minutes to secure the victory.

Bridgewater shot 40% (28-70) for the game, including 9-for-23 (39%) from three-point range. The Bears also finished an impressive 30-for-36 (83%) at the charity stripe. The 30 made free throws marked the most in a game for the Bears since January 17, 2009 (35).

After shooting 52% (12-23) in the first quarter, the Owls connected on just 27% (15-56) of their field goal attempts over the last three periods. Westfield also went just 9-for-40 (23%) from behind the arc for the game and 23-for-37 (62%) at the free throw line.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon. The Bears entertain MASCAC foe Fitchburg State University at one o'clock, while the Owls host Hunter College at 4:30.