Women's Basketball Rolls to 77-61 MASCAC Win Over Salem State

SALEM, Mass. – Sophomore forward Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) posted a double-double with a game-high 23 points to go along with ten rebounds to lead the visiting Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 77-61 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Salem State University on Wednesday night at Twohig Gymnasium.

The Bears improve to 16-5 on the season and 7-1 in the MASCAC, while the Vikings fall to 9-12 overall and 4-4 in conference place. Bridgewater has won each of the last ten meetings of the two teams.

Grassi added four assists and three steals, and five of her ten boards came off the offensive glass. The double-double marked the second of her career. Grassi also hit the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season.

BSU junior guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with nine points, nine assists, two steals and a game and career-high 12 rebounds as she came within a point and an assist of a triple-double. Sophomore forward Arielle Cleveland (Groveland, Mass.) notched 15 points and six rebounds for the Bears, and senior guard Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, Mass.) contributed eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Freshman forward Ernidia Goncalves (Everett, Mass.) paced Salem State with 20 points, seven rebounds (five offensive), two blocks and three steals. Sophomore forward Abuk Teng (Manchester, N.H.) added 14 points and seven rebounds (three offensive) for the Vikings, while senior forward Liz Zaiter (Peabody, Mass.) ten points and eight rebounds.

After a tightly contested first quarter, Bridgewater score the first 14 points of the second period to open up a 29-13 lead. Five different players scored during the game-changing spurt which was capped off by a Tripp traditional three-point play. The Bears outscored the Vikings 29-10 in the second session to take a 44-23 advantage into the break.

Bridgewater got up by as many as 25 points on three different occasions in the second half while Salem got no closer than 15.

The Bears shot 39.3% (33-84) for the game and 21.7% (5-23) from three-point range. Bridgewater also went 6-for-7 (85.7%) at the free throw line. The Vikings converted on 35.1% (26-74) of their field goal attempts and finished 3-for-10 (30%) from behind the arc and just 6-for-11 (54.5%) at the charity stripe.

The Bears held a 59-42 rebounding advantage with a 25-16 edge on the offensive glass which led to a 16-10 differential in second chance points. Bridgewater also dominated on the break holding a 22-4 edge in fastbreak points.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Saturday afternoon. The Bears entertain Worcester State University at three o'clock, while the Vikings host Westfield State university at two.