MASCAC Women's Basketball Tournament Preview

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team went from the first days of January until the third week of February without losing a game.

The Bears put together a 14-game winning streak over that time, clinching the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title and impressively rebounding from a 1-9 start against non-conference opponents.

But last Saturday, the quest for a perfect MASCAC season was halted when they lost the finale in overtime at Worcester State University to finish 13-1 in the conference.

Now, with that in the rear-view mirror, BSU turns its full attention to a more important matter, the MASCAC tournament where it is the No. 1 seed for the third time in four seasons.

The Bears are a pair of wins away from a second straight MASCAC tourney championship, something they haven't done since winning five in a row from 2011-15.

BSU (15-10) will host a semifinal-round game at the Tinsley Center on Friday at 5:30 p.m. against conference newcomer Anna Maria College (11-14).

The sixth-seeded AMCATS upset third-seeded Westfield State University, 96-70, in the quarterfinal round Wednesday.

BSU defeated Anna Maria during the regular season, 76-44 on the road and 65-46 at home.

But the AMCATS lost by 20 and 17 points during the regular season to Westfield State, then went on the road and scored a 32-point win in the tournament opener.

"It's championship week and they're coming in as the sixth seed with absolutely nothing to lose," said BSU coach Bridgett Casey. "They're going to bring it. They're going to remember what we did to them."

Anna Maria, which moved from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference to the MASCAC this season, finished 6-8 in the conference to gain the final spot in the tourney.

"They are very athletic," said Casey. "They have kids who can play at both ends of the floor. They have some 3-point shooters and a post presence. They like to run and like to press. They are very similar to us, being guard-oriented. I think it's going to be a good matchup."

BSU held Anna Maria below 50 points in both wins, but the AMCATS had a season-high 96 points in the win over Westfield State to advance.

Junior Arianna Gonzalez (Worcester, Mass.), the team's leading scorer at 12.2 points, had a career-best 27 points with 12 rebounds and five assists against Westfield State.

Sophomore Meaghan Doyle (Hardwick, Mass.) added 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a game in which Anna Maria scored 34 points more than its season average.

"We'll go in with a defensive mindset and whatever happens from our defense triggers our offense," said Casey.

BSU got together again in the middle of this week after being unable to practice due to the snowstorm.

The few days away allowed the Bears to move on from the end of the winning streak and focus squarely on the task at hand.

"A couple of days away were good," said Casey. "Their mindset is good. There is a shift in them. We know what we did to beat all those good teams down the stetch to get the No. 1 seed and we just hit a drought the other day (at Worcester).

"Maybe it was what we needed at the time. They're hungry and they're ready for this."

BSU has three scorers averaging in double digits, including junior Sophie Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) at 11.5 points, freshman Emilie von der Linden (Sanbornville, N.H.) at 11.0 and senior Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, N.Y.) at 10.2.

von der Linden leads the MASCAC with 2.4 blocked shots, is second in shooting percentage (52) and third in rebounds (9).

The Bears are 9-3 at the Tinsley Center this season and they won the MASCAC title there last year against Framingham State and in 2023 against Westfield State.

"It's huge being home," said Casey. "That's why you get the No. 1 seed. We usually have a pretty good fan base there."

In the other semifinal-round game, second-seeded Framingham State (15-10) hosts fourth-seeded Salem State (13-13) at 6 p.m.

The two winners will be playing for the MASCAC title and a spot in the NCAA Division III tournament Sunday afternoon at the highest remaining seed.

BSU has eight MASCAC tourney championships since the start in 1990 with Salem State in the lead with 16.

The Bears won in 2008, 2011-15, 2023 and 2025.