BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team outlasted visiting Suffolk University in double overtime, 68-58, on Thursday night at the Tinsley Center.
The host Bears improve to 1-4 as they picked up their first win of the 2018-2019 campaign. The Rams fall to 4-3 on the young season.
Senior guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, while senior guard Danielle Arcidiacono (Bellingham, Mass.) came off the bench to score 14 points to go along with three boards, five assists and four steals. Arcidiacono went 4-for-8 from behind the arc including a trio of clutch three pointers in the overtime sessions.
Senior guard Olivia DelGrosso (Ledyard, Conn.) added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Bears, while senior forward Kailyn Aguiar (Acushnet, Mass.) notched eight points, three steals and a career-best 16 rebounds (seven offensive).
Sophomore guard Jenni-Rose DiCecco (Falmouth, Mass.) tallied a game-high 20 points to lead the way for Suffolk. DiCecco also recorded nine rebounds and three steals. Sophomore forward Jordan Hipwell (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards, while sophomore guard Gabriella DeComo (Portsmouth, R.I.) checked in with 13 points and five caroms.
Suffolk led 14-8 after one quarter of play as DiCecco and Hipwell tallied six points apiece in the opening period. The Bears connected on just 4 of 14 (29%) field goal attempts over the first ten minutes including 0-for-5 from behind the arc.
The visitors took a 29-18 lead into the break as the Rams outscored the Bears 15-10 in the second quarter. Suffolk shot 46% (11-24) from the floor in the first half and knocked down 3 of 5 three-point attempts. Bridgewater State converted on 26% (8-31) of its field goal attempts in the opening half.
Down 33-22 with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bears went on a 7-0 run over the next four minutes, highlighted by a traditional three-point play by sophomore forward Destiny Fitzgerald (Medford, Mass.), to climb back into the game. Bridgewater would trail 39-35 heading into the final period. Fitzgerald scored all seven of her points in the third quarter.
A jumper by DaSilva to open the fourth followed by a breakaway layup by DelGrosso knotted the score at 39-39. After a Suffolk basket, Arcidiacono drained a three-pointer to give the Bears' their first lead of the game, 42-41, with 7:44 remaining. After a Ram turnover, DelGrosso buried a jumper to extend the BSU advantage to 44-41 as the clocked ticked under seven minutes. The Bears, however, would score just four points over the remainder of the period.
Trailing 46-44, DeComo converted a layup and was fouled to tie the game up (the free throw was missed). After a stop, DiCecco reclaimed the lead for the Rams, 48-46, with a driving layup with 1:33 showing on the scoreboard. A DiCecco blocked shot gave Suffolk a chance to make it a two possession game, but the Rams committed a crucial turnover with 24.7 seconds left to play. DaSilva then sent the game to overtime with a baseline driving layup with 10.5 seconds remaining.
Back-to-back baseline jumpers by DeComo and DiCecco to begin overtime gave the Rams a 52-48 advantage. Arcidiacono answered with a three-pointer, while a steal and layup by Aguiar put the Bears back on top, 53-52. Suffolk reclaimed the lead on a Hipwell layup and later in the session, junior forward Alexis Hackett (Charlton, Mass.) made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Rams a two-point cushion, 55-53, with under a minute remaining. Aguiar then dropped in a layup off a nice feed from Arcidiacono with 38.2 seconds showing to knot the score at 55-55. The Rams missed a pair of free throws with 27.5 seconds left on board and the Bears had a chance to win it, but a three-pointer with time winding down was off the mark.
A DaSilva three-pointer to start the second overtime was answered by a DiCecco driving layup. Arcidiacono then knocked down another trifecta to make it a 61-57 game. Aguiar extended the BSU lead to six (63-57) with a layup and was fouled, but missed the free throw. DiCecco made 1 of 2 free throws at the other end of the floor to make it a five-point game with 2:23 left to play. The Rams, however, would not score again. Arcidiacono put the game out of reach with a three-pointer at the 1:13 mark and DaSilva put the finishing touches on the Bears' 68-58 victory with a pair of late free throws.
Bridgewater State shot 43% (20-47) from the floor in the second half and overtime.
The Bears' forced 25 turnovers for the game and held a 50-41 rebounding advantage including a 19-7 edge on the offensive glass which led to 23 more shot attempts (78-55). Bridgewater's bench, led by Arcidiacono's 14 points, outscored the Suffolk reserves, 25-8.
Suffolk shot 40% (22-55) for the game, but went 1-for-6 from the floor in the decisive second overtime period. The Rams went 11-for-19 (58%) at the free throw line with four of the missed foul shots coming in overtime.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon. The Bears travel to Salve Regina University for a one o'clock game with the Seahawks, while Rams head to the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) for a 3:30 matchup with the Blue Jays.