DaSilva Leads Women's Hoops to 67-47 Win over Salem

DaSilva Leads Women's Hoops to 67-47 Win over Salem

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) scored a season-high 23 points to lead the Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a convincing 67-47 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Salem State University on Wednesday night at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 7-9 on the season and 2-1 in the MASCAC, while the Vikings fall to 2-14 overall and 0-4 in conference play. Salem has dropped seven straight games and ten of its last 11.

DaSilva was an impressive 10-for-11 from the field including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc as she hit the 20-point mark for the second straight game. She also added four rebounds, five assists and a game-best six steals to go along with a blocked shot.

Freshman guard Olivia Dziadyk (Wakefield, Mass.) added a career-high 13 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Bears, while senior forward Kailyn Aguiar (Acushnet, Mass.) notched ten points, four boards (three offensive) and five steals. Dziadyk was 5-for-8 from the floor including 3-for-5 from three-point range.

Senior center Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass.) posted a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 16 rebounds to lead the way for Salem State. Fernandes also tallied three steals and three blocks, and 11 of her 16 boards came off the offensive glass. Senior forward Tyra Scott (Methuen, Mass.) added 17 points and seven boards for the Vikings.

Bridgewater scored the first ten points of the game, including back-to-back three-pointers from DaSilva, and led 26-11 after one quarter of play. A Destiny Fitzgerald (Medford, Mass.) layup to open the second quarter gave the Bears their biggest lead of the half at 17 points (28-11). A 10-3 Salem run, highlighted by seven points from Scott, pulled the Vikings to within ten (31-21). Back-to-back buckets from Aguiar and Dziadyk ended the run and pushed the BSU advantage back to 14 before a Fernandes layup closed out the scoring in the first half as the two team headed to the locker room with Bridgewater holding a 35-23 lead.

DaSilva scored 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting in the first half including 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Fernandes tallied 13 points to lead the way for the Vikings over the first 20 minutes.

After shooting at a 58% (11-19) clip in the first quarter and knocking down four three-pointers, the Bears struggled from the floor in the second as they converted just 4 of 15 (27%) field goal attempts in the period. The Vikings shot just 33% (10-30) from the floor in the first half and turned the ball over 11 times.

Bridgewater dominated play in the third quarter as the Bears outscored the Vikings 22-9 in the period. Bridgewater closed out the third with a 10-0 run to take a 25-point lead (57-32) into the final quarter. Dziadyk scored eight points in the third session including a pair of three-pointers. The Bears' defense forced eight turnovers and held the Vikings to 4-for-14 (29%) shooting in the period.

The Bears got up by as many as 26 points (65-39) in the fourth quarter and were never threatened.

Bridgewater shot 48% (29-61) for the game and finished 6-for-12 (50%) from behind the arc. The Bears forced 24 turnovers and held a 25-11 edge in points off turnovers.

Salem finished 21-for-59 (36%) from the floor and went 2-for-8 (25%) from three-point range and just 3-for-9 (33%) at the free throw line. Fifteen of the Vikings' 38 rebounds came off the offensive glass as they held a 18-8 advantage in second chance points.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both team on Saturday afternoon. The Bears travel to Framingham State University for a three o'clock game with the Rams, while the Vikings head to Westfield State University to take on the Owls at two.