BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Freshman forward Shelly DePina (New Bedford, MA) scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Bridgewater State College Bears to a 71-53 victory over MCLA in MASCAC women's basketball action this evening from the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater.
BSC improves to 12-6 overall and 5-1 in the MASCAC. The Bears have won six straight games and seven of their last eight. MCLA dips to 10-8 on the season and 1-5 in conference play.
DePina connected on 9 of 14 field goal attempts, pulled down six rebounds (five offensive) and recorded three steals in just 20 minutes of action.
Bridgewater used an 11-2 run early in the first half to turn a one-point game (9-8) into a ten-point lead (20-10). BSC would take a 33-19 advantage into the intermission and would lead by no less than 11 points the rest of the way. The Bears got up by as many as 18 points on four different occasions including the final tally of 71-53.
Sophomore guard Corey Cuddihy (Scituate, MA) was the only other Bear in double figures as she finished with 12 points to go along with six assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals. Junior guard Michaela Johnson (Riverside, RI) scored six points on 3 of 3 shooting while also grabbing six boards, four which came off the offensive glass.
BSC got solid production off the bench as the Bears' reserves outscored their MCLA counterparts by a margin of 24-9. Junior forward Ida Henry (Shrewsbury, MA) finished with seven points and five rebounds, while freshman forward Monica-Sabina Bharoocha (North Smithfield, RI) chipped in with six points and three boards.
Freshman guard Alie Dobrovolc (Little Falls, NY) paced the Trailblazers with a double-double of 20 points and ten rebounds. Six of her game-high ten boards came off the offensive glass. Junior guard Ali Leveille (Southampton, MA) added 14 points, four rebounds and five steals.
MCLA struggled from the floor throughout the game connecting on just 29% (18-for-62) of their field goal attempts while also turning the ball over 27 times. Rebounding was fairly even with the Trailblazers holding a slight 46-42 advantage with a 20-18 edge on the offensive glass.
The MASCAC schedule resumes for Bridgewater on Saturday as the Bears travel to Westfield State College to take on the first place Owls at 1 PM. MCLA hosts Worcester State College on Saturday at 5:30.