By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The recruiting trip to Bridgewater State University was just beginning, and already she was sold.

Sophia Gaucher (Lakeville, Mass.) was a senior at Apponequet Regional High School during the 2018-19 academic year, and she instantly knew BSU and its women's basketball program was for her.

Gaucher had been familiar with the school since her mother, Nicole, had attended Bridgewater State some two decades earlier, and the vibes were excellent on that recruiting trip.

"I remember my overnight visit and I was with Leah Simmons and Destiny Fitzgerald (who were then sophomores)," said Gaucher. "As soon as my dad (Chad) dropped me off, I was like, yep, these are my people. This is the school I'm going to, no ifs, ands or buts. This is where I'm going. I don't care about any other school, really.'

"I loved it immediately. Ever since then, I haven't looked back. This has been probably one of the best experiences of my life. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else."

Gaucher, who will graduate in the spring with a degree in psychology, has gotten the most out of her time at BSU.

In addition to excelling as a student -- Gaucher will be going to graduate school to study school psychology in the spring semester of 2025 -- she has been a leading contributor for the successful Bears' women's basketball team.

Gaucher was named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and made the all-conference first team in the 2022-23 season when BSU reached the NCAA Division 3 tournament.

Now a fifth-year senior forward, Gaucher is averaging a career-best 10 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in addition to being a stellar inside defender.

She has helped the Bears (14-11, 10-2 MASCAC) earn a bye in the conference tournament. Second-seeded BSU hosts third-seeded Westfield State University Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Tinsley Center in the semifinal round.

Gaucher arrived at BSU in 2019, recruited as a shooting guard but eventually moving to the post where she sets the tone defensively for the Bears. Defense has long been a top priority for Gaucher, and that has been obvious at BSU.

"Defense is the most important part of the game," said Gaucher, a two-time captain, who took 39 charges last season. "(To be defensive player of the year), it meant everything to me. Ever since I started playing basketball, offense wasn't really my forte. Defense is where I really learned to play the game and where I fell in love with the game, honestly.

"I was able to stop people and it gave me that momentum to be better. I was able to put myself in between someone and the basket and make more opportunities for myself. I think that's where my IQ grew as well. I was able to beat the players to the spot or read where I needed to help before the player even went there."

BSU coach Bridgett Casey appreciates having a player like Gaucher, who can take care of the unglamorous aspects of the game.

"She's an athlete who just sacrifices herself, especially defensively," said Casey. "The number of charges that she's taken over her career is pretty amazing. For her to give of herself defensively like that has been great.

"From her freshman year to her fifth year, she's played every single position for us. She was a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, center. She is a versatile player, a total team player who is loved and respected by all. She's truly a special, special student-athlete.

"She's kind of like the glue that holds everybody together. We have (Sydney) Bradbury, who can outright score. We have (Caroline) Tripp, who can defend and get to the basket any time she wants. We have (Kylie) Grassi, who is having a pretty solid, hopefully, player-of-the-year season again. When you have all those pieces, it's very important to have someone to keep them grounded and hold them all together, and that's what Soph does for us. She leads by example and she is also a vocal leader in the locker room and on the court."

Gaucher averaged 10.1 minutes in 17 games as a freshman, getting 2.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in the 2019-20 season. The COVID pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020-21 season, and she started 12 of 18 games in the 2021-22 season, averaging 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Last season is when Gaucher's role really expanded, and she started 25 of 26 games, averaging nine points and 6.7 rebounds (eighth in the MASCAC).

"Last year, a lot of what I was able to create was because of my defense," said Gaucher. "I think that was very valuable to our team because we are such a fast-paced team when I was able to get those stops and rebounds and charges, I was able to change the momentum of the game and really pick up our pace when we needed it."

Gaucher has been more of an offensive threat the deeper she has gotten into her career.

She has scored in double figures 13 times this season with a 21-point outing against Salem State on Jan. 27.

"My defense has always been good, but going into college I really stepped it up each year, and my offensive game, too," she said. "I wasn't as confident in my shot or taking the ball to the basket as much as I was last year or this year. Even this year, I'm way more confident in my shot and my takes. I can feel my momentum and when it's a good shot."

Casey said there were point guards ahead of Gaucher on the depth chart a few years ago, so she was moved to the wing and then in the post where there was a need.

"From where we recruited her to where she's at now, her game has expanded on all levels," said Casey.

Gaucher had another year of eligibility due to the COVID season, so she is back as a fifth-year senior, looking to help the Bears win a second straight MASCAC tourney title this week.

"I wasn't definitely sure I was coming back until the playoffs last year," she said. "I was like, OK, I want to feel this feeling again."

Now, the basketball career of Gaucher, which began when she was a fourth-grader, is winding down with BSU having a chance to repeat in the MASCAC and go back to the NCAA tournament.

"I was just talking to (fellow captains) Syd and Caroline the other day," said Gaucher of Bradbury and Tripp. "I said that I don't think Senior Day has set in yet. I know I have to start thinking about the possibility of my season ending and I'm not going to be able to play basketball on an organized team again.

"The only thing I'm looking at is playoffs and getting that MASCAC championship and going back to the NCAAs. I don't have time to think about that right now. I'm kind of glad I don't have time to think about that. It's upsetting to think about."