By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Here's a look at the week ahead (Nov. 10-16) for the Bridgewater State University athletics teams:
WEDNESDAY
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, at home, UMass Dartmouth, 5:30 PM: The Bears begin the 2025-26 season with a non-conference game against the Corsairs at the Tinsley Center.
BSU went 19-7, including 9-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference, and reached the NCAA Division III tournament for the 12th time last season.
The Corsairs had their season opener last week, losing to Johnson & Wales, 99-87.
The Bears have won three straight games in the series, including a year ago, 99-85, when the Corsairs were ranked 13th and 19th in the national polls.
UMass Dartmouth finished 23-5 a year ago and also played in the NCAA tournament.
MEN'S BASKETBALL, at home, UMass Dartmouth, 7:30 PM: The Bears kick off the 2025-26 season by facing the Corsairs of the Little East Conference at the Tinsley Center.
BSU went 10-16 and 5-7 in the MASCAC a year ago while UMass Dartmouth was 9-17 overall.
The Corsairs have won eight of the last nine games with the Bears.
UMass Dartmouth started its season over the weekend, winning its Lafrance Hospitality Tournament with victories over Brooklyn College, 102-59, and Saint Joseph's of Connecticut, 84-83.
THURSDAY
VOLLEYBALL, at home, MASCAC tournament, 6:00 PM: The top-seeded Bears host a semifinal-round game after going 8-0 in the conference during the regular season.
BSU (15-4) enters the postseason with five straight wins and is 8-1 at the Tinsley Center.
The Bears are the top seed for the first time since 2006. Their opponent will be determined on Tuesday and will either be the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Worcester State or Salem State.
FRIDAY
MEN'S & WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING, at the Eastern Connecticut Relays, 5:00 PM: The Bears' teams travel to Willimantic, Conn., for a five-team meet at the Sports Center.
Joining BSU and Eastern Connecticut State will be UMass Dartmouth, Plymouth State and Western New England.
SATURDAY
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY, at the NCAA Division III East Region, 11:00 AM: The Bears will be at Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in Contoocook, N.H., for the regional championships.
The Bears finished 16th a year ago with Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.) being their top runner, placing 57th out of 228.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY, at the NCAA Division III East Regional, Noon: BSU senior Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) bids for a third straight trip to the NCAA Championships in Spartanburg, S.C., on Nov. 22.
Cass finished sixth in the region in 2024 with a time of 22:05.72 after placing 10th in 2023.
The race will be held at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in Contoocook, N.H.
FOOTBALL, at the Mass. Maritime Academy, Noon: The Bears finish the season with the 46th annual Cranberry Bowl in Buzzards Bay, Mass.
BSU is on a four-game winning streak and is 5-4 overall and 5-3 in the MASCAC after opening 1-4.
The Buccaneers are 4-5 and 4-4 in the conference.
BSU owns a 34-10-1 record in the Cranberry Bowl, which began in 1979, and was a 20-0 winner at home last season.
WRESTLING, at Western New England, 11:00 AM: The second annual Bear Cup will take place in Springfield between the Bears and the Golden Bears.
BSU lost at home a year ago, 31-12.
MEN'S BASKETBALL, at Nichols, 1:00 PM: The Bears play their road opener against the Bison.
BSU defeated Nichols, 98-81 last season. Nichols, which is coming off a 13-13 season, played its opener last week and lost to Rhode Island College, 91-87.
MEN'S SOCCER, Rowan University, at Middletown, Conn., 1:30 PM: The Bears play an opening-round game in the NCAA Division III tournament against the Profs of Glassboro, N.J.
The game will be played at Wesleyan University, which faces Lehman in the other bracket.
SUNDAY
EQUESTRIAN, at the Equestrian Farm: The Bears finish the fall semester part of the schedule by taking part in a show hosted by Boston College in Norfolk, Mass.