Women's Basketball Captures MASCAC Tournament Crown

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Senior guard Brittney Chappron (Braintree, Mass.) scored a game-high 22 points to lead Bridgewater State University to a 47-42 victory over Westfield State University in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's tournament championship game Saturday, Feb. 26.

The hard-earned victory gives the Bears (19-7) and automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament. Westfield – the MASCAC regular season championship – had its 12-game winning streak halted and is 21-6.

Chappron – the tournament MVP - made four 3-point baskets from well beyond the arc and rallied the Bears from a 38-32 deficit midway through the second half to lift them to their second MASCAC tournament championship (they captured the crown in 2008) and sixth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bears also advanced to the NCAAs in 2007-2008 and made four straight appearances from 1982 to 1986.

"Brittney has been playing for the past three weeks like she did today," said Bridgewater veteran head coach Bridgett Casey. "She was a senior on a mission."

Chappron nailed a trey following a timeout to make it 38-35 at the 9:42 mark. She then drained an NBA 3-pointer from the right wing near the out of bounds line to knot the score at 38-38 with 7:27 remaining.

With both teams playing tough defense and struggling to execute offensively, Chappron hit a pull-up short-range jumper to give the Bears the lead, 40-38, with 3:37 remaining.

Westfield tied the score on a give-and-go layup from Briana Kelly (Hampden, Mass.) at the 2:33 mark, but Bridgewater responded 23 seconds later with a conventional 3-point play from Megan Boutilette (Charlton, Mass.) for a 43-42 Bear advantage.

Ashley Finnegan (Worcester, Mass.) dropped in a layup to pull the Owls within a point, 43-42, with a minute remaining. Westfield then got the ball back 11 seconds later when point guard Janae Jones (Springfield, Mass.) swiped the ball from Chappron in the frontcourt. But Kelly was whistled for a turnover with 31 seconds remaining.

Westfield was forced to foul and senior guard Corey Cuddihy (Scituate, Mass.) made two free throws for a 45-42 lead with 17 seconds remaining. Westfield sophomore Courtney DelRatez (Adams, Mass.) took a heavily guarded 3-point shot from the right wing that was on target but hit the front of the iron with four seconds remaining. Bridgewater grabbed the loose ball and Chappron canned two free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining.

"It was a great win to bring back to Bridgewater," Casey said. "Brittney and our defense were the keys."

The low-scoring game was not anticipated. The Bears entered the game leading the MASCAC in points scored (76.6) and points allowed (69.4) per game. The other game this season Bridgewater held a team below 50 points was an 83-47 triumph over MCLA. Westfield won the two regular season meetings, defeating Bridgewater in overtime, 65-61, and in a 96-80 shootout.

"It was a defensive battle and I don't think we've held a team to that low of a score," said Casey. "We just communicated well today and tried to have a hand in the face each time Westfield took a shot."

Westfield, which leads in the MASCAC in scoring defense (52.6), trailed 17-7 with 10:01 remaining in the first half. The Owls went on a 9-0 run – sparked by five points form Kelly – to close within a point, 17-16.

Bridgewater led at halftime, 24-22, and after the teams traded leads Westfield went on a mini 7-0 run, capped by a 3-point basket by sophomore reserve guard Angela Paterson (Nantucket, Mass.) for its biggest lead, 38-32.

It was the Owls' only 3-pointer of the game as they struggled from the perimeter. They shot 29 percent from the field, including 1 for 10 from beyond the arc.

Finnegan posted another double-double with team highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Kelly was Westfield's second leading scorer with nine points. Jones finished with six points and five assists.

Boutilette was the Bears' second leading scorer with seven points; she also grabbed 10 rebounds. Cuddihy had a game-high and career-high 12 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

Bridgewater also struggled from the field, shooting 33 percent. The Bears were 4 for 16 from 3-point range, led by Chappron's 4-for-8 effort.