WORCESTER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State sophomore Elisha Homich (Ludlow, Mass.) registered 16 points and four steals while junior Shelly DePina (New Bedford, Mass.) notched totals of 15 points and seven rebounds to help lead the Bears to a 72-60 victory this afternoon over Worcester State in MASCAC women's basketball action.
With the triumph BSU improves to 16-6 and 7-3 in the conference – which is now good for second place – while the Lancers slip to 11-12 and 5-5 in league play. WSU is tied for fourth with Fitchburg State.
Homich was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, including a pair of three-pointers, as well as 6-for-6 at the free throw line. She also added three rebounds, two assists to go along with her four steals. Senior Brittney Chappron (Braintree, Mass.) also netted 14 points for the Bears while classmate Corey Cuddihy (Scituate, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and a trio of assists.
The Blue and Gold were propelled by third-year Kaleigh Charette (Fairhaven, Mass.) who posted game highs of 18 points and 10 boards for her second double-double this season. Charette also finished her evening with three helpers and three steals.
Sophomore Meaghan O'Keefe (Warren, Mass.) tallied 11 points and three blocks as senior Kathleen Foley (Hudson, N.H.) finished with nine points. Fourth-year Alexis George (Worcester, Mass.) and freshman Meaghan Burns (W. Brookfield, Mass.) both combined for 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Worcester State led by as many as eight points five minutes into the game (12-4) before the Bears used a furious 12-3 run to knot the score 15-15 at the 7:17 mark.
A close to capacity crowd would then be treated to a back-and-forth affair that featured seven ties and one lead change as the Bears took the 30-27 advantage into the break on a three pointer by freshman Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) for her only score of the contest.
In the second half the Lancers kept within one to two possessions for the first four minutes, but then BSU used missed shots and turnovers to make their move. As the Blue and Gold trailed 37-34 with 16:51 on the clock, Bridgewater State went on an 11-0 run for the 46-34 edge at 13:10 capped off by a trey by Chappron.
After Worcester State got to within seven points three times over the next 5½ minutes with their last coming at the 7:26 mark (54-47) the Bears pulled away by outscoring the hosts 13-5 for the 67-52 lead with 4:23 remaining in regulation.
BSU – who was nearly perfect from the free throw line for the contest (22-for-24) – sank five of their last six to earn the win as they never lost the double-digit advantage.
Despite losing the contest, the Lancers shot 42 percent for the game (21-for-50) as they held the visitors to shoot 36 percent for the contest (21-for-58). The Bears held leads in total rebounds (37-32), points off of turnovers (17-10), second-chance points (13-6) and fast-break points (12-2).
Bridgewater State head coach Bridgett Casey is now two wins away from 200 wins as she now has a career mark of 198-157 (.558) in 14 seasons on the sidelines.
George, Foley and classmate Becca Giguere (W. Brookfield, Mass.) were all honored for their four-year contributions on "Senior Night" for playing in one of their final regular season home games.
Both teams will return to MASCAC play at home in the next week. Worcester State takes on Westfield State at 6 PM on Thursday while the Bears will host Salem State on Senior Night at 5:30 on Tuesday.