Women's Basketball Falls to Clark, 70-66

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Clark University women's basketball team held off visiting Bridgewater State University, 70-66, on Tuesday night at the Kneller Athletic Center.

The Cougars improve to 4-5 on the season, while the Bears fall to 7-3. Clark, which snapped a two-game losing streak against the Bears, holds a 15-5 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1980.

Junior forward Alaina Schatzabel (Kennebunk, Maine) posted a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 21 rebounds to lead the way for Clark. Schatzabel went 9-for-18 from the floor and eight of her 21 boards came off the offensive glass. She also added two assists, three steals and a pair of blocked shots.

Junior guard Jacqueline Faulise (North Kingstown, R.I.) contributed 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Cougars, while graduate guard Cam Richey (Upton, Mass.) registered ten points, three rebounds, five assists and a steal.

Sophomore forward Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with 26 points on 11 of 19 shooting to go along with five rebounds, four assists and a steal. Junior guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth, Mass.) checked in with 12 points, two rebounds, four assists and four steals for the Bears, while senior forward Sophia Gaucher (Lakeville, Mass.) tallied nine points, eight board, three assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

The tightly contested first half featured eight ties and six lead changes with the Cougars holding a 32-30 lead at the break. Grassi scored 19 of her game-high 26 points over the first 20 minutes, while Schatzabel notched 12 first-half points for Clark.

The Bears struggled for most of the third quarter and the Cougars took a 53-43 lead following a Richey layup at the 1:36 mark. Back-to-back layups, however, by freshman forward Kennedy Franklin (New Bedford, Mass.) and Tripp to close out the period made it a six-point game (53-47) at the end of three.

A three-pointer by senior guard Julianne Liebow (Townshend, Vt.) and a layup by Faulise to open the fourth quarter gave the hosts their biggest lead of the game at 11 points (58-47). Trailing 62-54 midway through the final session, the Bears used a 7-0 run capped off by an Eryn Rice (So., Medway, Mass.) trifecta to make it a one-point game (62-61) with 3:43 left to play. After a defensive stop, the Bears turned the ball over and Richie knocked down a pair of free throws at the other end of the floor to push the Clark advantage to three (64-61). The Bears were unable to convert on their next two possessions and Richey drained a clutch three-pointer at the 2:18 mark to make it a six-point game (67-61).

After BSU senior guard Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) made 1 of 2 free throws, the Bears capitalized on a turnover as Tripp drove in for a layup to cut the deficit to 67-64 with 1:35 showing on the scoreboard. Bridgewater had three chances to tie the game up but the Bears next two possessions resulted in two turnovers sandwiched around a missed three-pointer. Faulise made 1 of 2 free throws with 16.3 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession game (68-64). A quick jumper by Tripp cut the deficit to two (68-66) and the Bears quickly fouled. Liebow, however, calmy sank both free throws with 5.4 second left to play to ice the game for the Cougars.

Clark shot 42.6% (26-61) from the floor for the game, 44.4% (4-9) from behind the arc and 70% (14-20) at the free throw line. The Bears connected on just 39.1% (27-69) of their field goal attempts, including 4-for-21 (19%) from behind the arc and went 8-for-16 (50%) at the free throw line.

The Bears forced 23 turnovers and held a 23-15 edge in points off turnovers. The Cougars finished with a 42-32 advantage in points in the paint.

Bridgewater State is off until the end of the month when the Bears travel to Smith College for the Smith Holiday Tournament. The Bears take on nationally ranked Smith on Friday, December 30th (1:00 PM) and SUNY Polytechnic Institute on Saturday, December 31st (1:00 PM). Clark entertains Suffolk University on Saturday (Dec. 10) afternoon at one o'clock.