WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Senior guard Vanessa Conceicao (New Bedford, Mass.) scored a season-high 23 points in an all-around performance to lead the visiting Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 90-79 win over Westfield State University on Saturday afternoon at the Woodward Center.

Conceicao finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to key the win for Bridgewater and help the bears move into a first-place tie in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference with the Owls and Framingham State.

Bridgewater improves to 7-9 on the season and 4-1 in the MASCAC, while Westfield drops to 11-6 overall and 4-1 in league play.

Junior forward Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) posted a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears, with freshman guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) scored 18 points including 15 in the second half along. 

Bridgewater jumped out to a 9-2 lead to open the game with Conceicao capping that run with a three-pointer.  Westfield struggled from the floor in the early going, making just 1 of their first 11 field goals before cutting into the Bears' lead with back-to-back three-pointers from freshman guard Ece Eldek (Istanbul, Turkey) and junior guard Kirsy Segarra (Holyoke, Mass.).

Bridgewater led 22-16 at the end of the first quarter behind 13 points from Conceicao. The Bears limited the Owls to just 6-21 shooting from the floor in the opening period.

The Bears again gained the upper hand in the second quarter, building a 31-18 lead, but Westfield rallied, closing the gap to one by halftime (37-36) with an 18-6 run that was capped by a Jill Valley (Orange, Mass.) drive.  

Westfield grabbed a 38-37 lead with the opening bucket of the second half on a steal and layup by Forbasaw Nkamebo (Amherst, Mass.) Bridgewater built the lead back to as many as eight points in the third quarter, but again Westfield held tough, pulling the game even at 58-all. The Bears led 60-58 at the end of three periods.

The Bears finally wrestled full control of the game on a Conceicao drive with 1:50 left that gave Bridgewater an 81-73 lead.

Bridgewater used excellent ball movement to get quality shots, assisting on 19 of 32 field goals and shooting 48% from the floor and 37% (7-19) from three point range.

Westfield had three players score more than 20 points. Nkamebo netted 22 points on 9 of 11 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, while Valley and Segarra each finished with 20 points. 

Bridgewater held a 51-42 advantage in rebounds and turned those opportunities into a 24-12 edge in second chance points.

Westfield will be back in action on Wednesday, hosting Worcester State at 5:30 p.m.  Bridgewater will next host MCLA on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.