FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Junior forward Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) scored 15 points and notched seven steals to lead the Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 65-50 victory over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival Worcester State University on Wednesday evening.

The game was played at Fitchburg State's Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Bears improve to 6-9 on the season and 3-1 in the MASCAC with their third straight win, while the Lancers fall to 5-11 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Lindland, who also added five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, has 21 steals over the last three games and 43 on the season.

Junior forward Chanelle Melton (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 points for the Bears with ten of those coming in the second half. Melton also grabbed five boards and recorded a pair of steals.

Sophomore guard Christine Curran (Ayer, Mass.) rounded out BSU's double-digit scorers as she finished with 12 points to go along with three steals.

Sophomore guard Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) led the way for the Lancers with 14 points and five rebounds. Freshman forward Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) added ten points and a game-high nine boards, while freshman center Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) chipped in with ten points, eight rebounds and a game-best five blocks.

The Bears led 15-13 after one quarter of play and used a 10-0 run during a three minute stretch of the second period to open up a 13-point advantage (31-18). Junior guard Chelsea Saucier (Portland, Maine) knocked down a pair of three-point field goals during the spurt while senior guard Vanesa Conceicao (New Bedford, Mass.) also connected from behind the arc.

A three-pointer by senior guard Stephanie DeSantis (Walpole, Mass.) later in the quarter extended the BSU lead to 34-20. Bridgewater would ultimately take a 34-23 advantage into the break.

Lindland and Saucier tallied eight points each to pace the Bears in the first half, while Berkel, Hackett and senior guard Natasha Gonzalez (Milford, Mass.) notched six points apiece for the Lancers.

Bridgewater scored 14 points off of 15 Worcester turnovers over the opening 20 minutes and held an 8-2 edge in second chance points.

The Bears scored the first eight points of the third quarter and 12 of the first 14, sparked by eight points from Melton, to open up their biggest lead of the game at 46-25.

Worcester answered with a 13-2 run to make it a ten-point game (48-38) with 1:48 remaining in the period.

A Curran layup accounted for the final two points of the quarter as well as the Bears' only offensive production in the last four minutes of the period. Bridgewater would take a 50-38 lead into the fourth.

A layup by sophomore guard Rhiana Page (Brookline, Mass.) followed by a Curran jumper extended the BSU advantage to 54-38 in the early stages of the final quarter. A traditional three-point play by Curran with seven minutes remaining made it a 17-point game (57-40).

Worcester would not go away, however, as the Lancers reeled off seven straight points on layups by junior guard TaNajiaSmith (South Windsor, Conn.) and Herring sandwiched around a Hackett trifecta to pull to within ten, 57-47.

Lindland made 1 of 2 free throws at the other end of the floor for the Bears, but Herring answered with a layup to cut the Worcester deficit to single-digits (58-49) for the first time since midway through the second quarter.

After the teams exchanged free throws as the clock ticked under three minutes, the Lancers forced a turnover but could not convert on a three-point attempt. A BSU steal and ensuing Curran layup upped the Bears' lead to 61-50 with 1:52 remaining.

Following Worcester's 26th and final turnover of the game, Lindland sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with just 56 seconds showing on the scoreboard. A Lindland layup with 21 seconds left accounted for the final tally of 65-50.

DeSantis added seven points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal for the Bears, while Conceicao contributed a game-high nine assists to go along with six boards and two steals.

Bridgewater State shot 41% (25-61) for the game and held a decided 29-7 advantage in points off turnovers (29-7). The Bears also held the clear edge in both points in the paint (36-26) and bench points (23-6).