By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Here's a look at the week ahead (Dec. 30 to Jan. 5) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:
MONDAY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, Washington University, at Caguas, Puerto Rico, 9:30 AM: The Bears finish a two-game trip by taking on nationally ranked Washington from St. Louis.
Washington is off to an 8-2 start after reaching the NCAA Division III tournament the past two seasons.
Also nicknamed the Bears, Washington plays in the United Athletic Association, which includes Brandeis University, which defeated BSU earlier this month.
Washington is ranked No. 15 in the D3hoops.com poll and No. 19 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll.
BSU dropped the opener in Puerto Rico, falling to Dickinson College, 71-52, Saturday morning.
Washington began its stay in Puerto Rico by defeating Dickinson, 63-45, on Sunday morning.
MEN'S BASKETBALL, at Salve Regina University, 2:00 PM: The Bears, idle since Dec. 10, return to action with a game at the Rodgers Recreation Center in Newport, R.I.
BSU is on a three-game losing streak to fall to 4-5. The Bears' last game was a 101-98 loss at Emerson College.
Salve Regina (3-6) is 0-2 in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference with losses to Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark.
BSU and Salve Regina are playing for the first time since Nov. 18, 2018 when the Bears lost, 91-81.
SATURDAY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, at home, Smith College, 1:00 PM: The Bears face a nationally ranked team for a second game in a row, hosting the Pioneers (7-1).
Smith reached the NCAA Division III championship game last March, losing to New York University, 51-41, and finished 30-4.
The Pioneers have won 30 games in back-to-back seasons and are 118-14 since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Smith is ranked No. 11 in the WBCA poll and is No. 14 in the D3hoops.com rankings. The Pioneers' lone loss this season was to UMass Dartmouth, which was defeated by the Bears.
BSU lost its last meeting with Smith on Dec. 30, 2022, 88-67, in the Smith Holiday Tournament.
MEN'S BASKETBALL, at Clark University, 1:00 PM: The Bears end a stretch of three straight road games by traveling to the Kneller Athletic Center in Worcester.
The teams are meeting for the first time since Nov. 22, 2014 when the Cougars prevailed in the opener of the BSU Bears Invitational, 72-70, on a basket with eight seconds to go.
Clark is 5-2 and 2-0 in the NEWMAC and has a four-game winning streak.