BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Junior guard Brittney Chappron (Braintree, MA) scored 22 points, and freshman guard Elisha Homich (Ludlow, MA) tallied 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals off the bench, to lead the Bridgewater State College women's basketball team to an 83-72 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Fitchburg State this afternoon at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater.
Bridgewater State improves to 12-8 overall and remain in first place in the MASCAC with an 8-1 conference record. The Bears have won nine of their last ten games. Fitchburg State falls to 9-12 on the season and 3-5 in the MASCAC.
Chappron, who was 8-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, tallied 15 of her game-high 22 points in the second half. Homich knocked down 2 of 3 three-point attempts and was 7 of 8 at the free thrown line in 23 minutes off the bench.
Junior guard Kelley Rogers (Lowell, MA) paced the visiting Falcons with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Fitchburg also received 13 points, eight boards, three assists and four steals from junior forward Melissa Proffitt (Hubbardston, MA).
Bridgewater trailed 39-35 at the intermission but quickly erased the deficit as the Bears held Fitchburg scoreless for the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second half. Bridgewater would go on a 17-0 run and led 52-39 with 15:38 remaining. The Bears got up by as many as 15 points and led by no less than seven the rest of the way.
Junior guard Corey Cuddihy (Scituate, MA) added 12 points, six assists, a block and a steal, while sophomore forward Monica-Sabina Bharoocha (North Smithfield, RI) chipped in with 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals off the bench.
After shooting 36% from the floor in the first half, Bridgewater rebounded by connecting on 17 of 33 (52%) field goal attempts and scoring 48 points in the final stanza. The Bears also knocked down 20 of 25 (80%) free throw attempts for the game, and were 7-for-15 (47%) from behind the arc. Bridgewater turned the ball over just six times in the second half after registering 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Junior guard Molly Maloney (Taunton, MA) and senior guard Kari Averill (Barre, VT) also scored in double-figures for the Falcons with 15 and ten points respectively.
Fitchburg shot 40% (26-for-66) for the game and finished 14 of 20 (70%) from the charity stripe. The Falcons, however, turned the ball over 27 times.