DANBURY, Conn. -- After posting a 40-27 lead in the game's first half, the visitors from Bridgewater State University held on down the stretch to hand the Western Connecticut State University women's basketball team its second loss of the season by the final margin of 69-62 Wednesday evening at Feldman Arena.

For Bridgewater State, senior Michaela Cosby (Walpole, Mass.) led the way with 20 points and seven rebounds.  Senior Elisha Homich (Ludlow, MA) finished with 16 points, five assists and seven steals, while junior Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) notched 12 points, four boards and six steals.  Junior Colleen Hanscom (Melrose, Mass.) added ten points and junior Megan Boutilette (Charlton, Mass.) pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with eight points.

Scoring in double figures for Western were junior Caroline Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) who scored a game-high 21 points, and senior Carly Murphy (Wolcott, Conn.) with 18 points. Junior Sciarra Brandt (Thomaston, Conn.) led the Colonials on the boards with 10 rebounds and freshman Marisa Delzio (Brewster, N.Y.) handed out eight assists.

Western jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, holding Bridgewater State scoreless for the game's first two minutes. The Bears took their first lead, 10-8, on a three-pointer by Homich at the 14:09 mark. Western regained the advantage on a Murphy three, but when Boutilette hit a layup with just over nine minutes remaining in the half, Bridgewater State would never trail again. The Bears closed the half with a 25-9 run and went to the locker room at intermission with a 40-27 lead.

After both teams went scoreless in the first two minutes of the second half, two free-throws by Hanscom gave Bridgewater State a 15-point lead, which would prove to be the largest margin of the contest. Western narrowed the gap to nine points after a jumper by Brandt with 13 minutes remaining, and a Brasa three-pointer cut the lead to six points, 59-53, with five minutes left to play. Twice the Colonials closed to within five points, but free-throws by Hanscom and Homich down the stretch helped Bridgewater State hold on for a 69-62 victory.

For the game, Western held a slim 37-36 advantage in rebounds, and also had a 19-12 edge in assists. Western finished shooting 40.7% from the floor and 87.5% from the line, while Bridgewater State shot 35.6% and 92.3% respectively.  The Bears made 24 free throws compared to just seven for the Colonials. 

With the loss, Western's record now stands at 6-2, while Bridgewater State moves to 6-1. The Colonials return to action on Saturday when they travel to play Little East Conference rival Southern Maine. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00pm.  The Bears host Tufts University in their home opener on Saturday at one.