DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team opened the 2018-2019 campaign with a 79-65 loss to host UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday evening at the Tripp Athletic Center.
The game marked the season-opener for both teams.
Junior Ashley Brown (Fairhaven, Mass.) tallied ten points and a game-high 15 rebounds and seven assists to lead the way for UMass, while senior Jess Korzec (West Brookfield, Mass.) checked in with 19 points and senior Nakira Examond (New Bedford, Mass.) added 17 points and nine boards.
Junior Nicole Bostick (Bridgewater, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds, while classmate Kayla Carter (Beverly, Mass.) notched 12 points and four boards in just 16 minutes of action.
Bridgewater State opened the game with a 10-2 run capped off by back-to-back three-pointers by Bostick. Later in the quarter, a trifecta by senior Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) and a pair of free throws from classmate Olivia DelGrosso (Ledyard, Conn.) helped keep the BSU advantage at seven, 15-8, with four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
A 17-0 UMD run over the next three minutes quickly turned the Corsairs' seven-point deficit into a 25-15 lead. Five different players scored during the run including five points from sophomore Lauren Empey (Middleboro, Mass.) and four apiece from Brown and Korzec.
The Corairs extended their advantage to as much as 15 points (35-20) in the second quarter and took a 39-25 lead into halftime.
A 13-3 run to open the third quarter jumpstarted by six points from Bostick pulled Bridgewater to within three, 41-38. Carter added four points during the spurt. The Bears, however, could get no closer than three. UMass closed out the third with a 9-2 run to make it a ten-point game, 60-50, heading into the final quarter.
A Carter jumper and a Bostick three-pointer pulled Bridgewater to within six points, 61-55, in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The Bears, however, would connect on just 3 of 17 field goals over the final eight minutes as UMass pulled away for the 79-65 victory.
UMass shot 43% (27-63) from the floor for the game and went 0-for-9 from behind the arc. The Corsairs also knocked down 25 of 39 (64%) free throw attempts.
Bridgewater connected on just 30% (24-79) of its field goals attempts and finished 8-for-34 (24%) from three-point range and 9-for-17 (53%) at the charity stripe.
The two teams combined to commit 48 turnovers in the game.
UMass Dartmouth freshman Shaelyn Carreiro (Fall River, Mass.) was solid in her collegiate, registering ten points (4-of-4) and six rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday evening. The Corsairs host Coast Guard as part of the 2018 Lafrance Hospitality Classic at 5:30. Bridgewater State will take on WPI at 7:30 in the Hampton Inn Tip-Off Tournament hosted by the University of New England.