NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The visiting Bridgewater State University women's basketball team placed five players in double figures as the Bears rolled past the MCLA Trailblazers, 73-45, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup on Wednesday night at the Amsler Campus Center.
The Bears improve to 6-8 on the season with their third consecutive win and open the conference slate at 1-0. The Trailblazers lost their second straight as they fall to 4-8 overall and are 0-2 in the MASCAC.
Senior guard Olivia DelGrosso (Ledyard, Conn.) scored a career-high 21 points to lead the way for Bridgewater State. DelGrosso connected on 8 of 12 field goal attempts and added four assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
Sophomore center Destiny Fitzgerald (Medford, Mass.) added a season-high 16 points for the Bears on 7 of 11 shooting to go along with six boards and a pair of blocked shots in 16 minutes off the bench. Senior guard Danielle Arcidiacono (Bellingham, Mass.) checked in with 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench as she was 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
Senior forward Kailyn Aguiar (Acushnet, Mass.) and senior guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' double-digit point producers. Aguiar notched ten points on 5 of 6 shooting to go along with a game-high eight rebounds, while DaSilva scored ten points on 4 of 5 shooting in addition to seven boards and a game-best six assists.
MCLA jumped out to a 10-2 advantage, but then watched that lead quickly evaporate as the Bears scored the final 17 points of the opening period. Back-to-back layups by Fitzgerald and Aquiar to open the second quarter capped off what proved to be a 21-0 run as Bridgewater led 23-10 with 8:56 remaining until halftime. DelGrosso scored the first seven points of the run while Fitzgerald tallied six points and Arcidiacono knocked down a pair of three-pointers. The Bears continued to pull away and ultimately took a 40-20 lead into the break.
Fitzgerald scored 12 points over the first 20 minutes, while DelGrosso tallied nine. BSU shot 47% (16-34) in the first half and held the Trailblazers to just 33% (9-27) shooting from the field.
The Bears dominated the third quarter outscoring the Trailblazers 28-8 in the period to open up a 40-point advantage (68-28). DelGrosso scored ten points in the quarter as she made all four of her shots including a pair of three-pointers.
A layup by DelGrosso to open the fourth gave the Bears their biggest lead of the game at 42 points (70-28) with nine minutes left to play. MCLA would outscore Bridgewater 17-3 the rest of the way to account for the final tally of 73-45.
The Bears shot 44% (29-66) in the win and forced 19 turnovers while holding MCLA to 26% (17-66) shooting.
Senior forward L'Rae Brundige (Valley Falls, N.Y.) paced the Trailblazers with 13 points and seven rebounds.
The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Saturday afternoon at three. The Bears entertain Westfield State University while the Trailblazers travel to Worcester State University.