Strong First Half Propels Women's Basketball to 75-63 MASCAC Win over Westfield

By Jim Fenton

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team scored 57 first-half points on the way to its 13th consecutive victory.

The Bears improved to 12-0 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 75-63 victory over Westfield State University on Saturday afternoon.

BSU scored just 18 second-half points after the opening-half outburst allowed it to hold a 21-point lead at the midway point.

The Bears (14-9) can clinch the MASCAC regular-season championship outright on Wednesday night when they face second-place Framingham State University.

Freshman Emilie von der Linden (Sanbornville, N.H.) tied a school record with eight blocked shots and scored 14 points to go with 13 rebounds.

von der Linden equaled the mark set on Jan. 10, 2008 by Colleen Feeney against Western New England.

Junior Sophie Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was BSU's top scorer with 16 points to go with eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.

Sophomore Bridgitt O'Sullivan-Van Etten (Cumberland, R.I.) made 7 of 11 shots for 15 points and had four rebounds and two assists.

Senior Mairead Gallagher (Bridgewater, Mass.) had 11 points and four assists.

The Owls were led by senior Tavi Williams (Springfield, Mass.) with 17 points and 12 rebounds while freshman Sophia Rockwood (Windsor, Vt.) and sophomore Alexa Davis (Springfield, Mass.) added 10 points each.

BSU shot 47 percent from the floor, had 25 turnovers and outrebounded Westfield State, 53-44. The Owls hit only 26 percent of their shots and went 7-for-33 on 3-pointers.

The Bears jumped to a 12-0 lead 2:45 into the game, hitting six of their first seven shots before Westfield State got on the board with a 3-pointer by sophomore Kayley Downie (Easthampton, Mass.).

Baskets by O'Sullivan-Van Etten put BSU in front, 18-5 and 24-8, and the Bears scored 10 points down the stretch of the quarter for a 34-15 lead after the first 10 minutes.

O'Sullivan-Van Etten had 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the quarter and BSU went 15-for-21.

The Bears were up, 57-36, at halftime after scoring 23 points in the second quarter when they went 10-for-21. Bradbury and Gallagher had five points each and a 3-pointer
by Gallagher with four seconds left widened the lead to 21.

BSU missed 9 of 11 shots in the third quarter and scored only eight points -- four Gallagher foul shots and baskets by O'Sullivan-Van Etten and von der Linden.

The Bears still led by 16 after three quarters at 65-49 despite their offensive struggles.

Westfield State moved within 69-56 with 7:03 to go in the game, but the Bears scored five points in a row -- a foul shot by O'Sullivan-Van Etten, a layup by Bradbury and two foul shots by senior Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, N.Y.) to go up, 74-56.

The Bears play their final regular-season home game on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. against Framingham State.

Westfield State (15-8, 7-5 MASCAC) hosts Salem State at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.