By Jim Fenton

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico -- The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team struggled at the offensive end in the opening game of the Puerto Rico Clasico.

The Bears, who averaged 72.3 points in their opening nine games, were held to a season-low point total and shot just 22 percent from the field.

BSU was unable to recover from a slow start and was defeated by Dickinson College of Carlisle, Pa., 71-52, at the Coliseo Roger Mendoza on Saturday morning.

The Bears (7-3) conclude their two-game trip by playing nationally ranked Washington University of St. Louis at 9:30 a.m. on Monday.

BSU led only once against Dickinson, going in front, 2-0, when senior Jessica D'Amours (Feeding Hills, Mass.) scored 1:11 into the game.

That would be the only field goal of the first quarter for the Bears, who missed 16 of 17 shots in the opening 10 minutes and fell behind, 23-5.

BSU, playing for the first time since a Dec. 10 loss to Brandeis, had a number of scoring droughts throughout the game and finished making only 17 of 77 shots. The Bears missed all 15 of their 3-point attempts and went just 18-for-32 from the foul line.

D'Amours was the lone BSU player in double figures with 11 points to go with 11 rebounds. The double-double marked the first of the season for D'Amours and second of her career.

Senior Jordan Peebles (Middleboro, Mass.) had eight points and nine rebounds in just ten minutes of action, and junior Mairead Gallagher (Bridgewater, Mass.) contributed six points and four steals.

Dickinson (6-4) had four players in double figures, led by senior Clair Marion (Clarks Summit, Pa.) with 18 points to go with eight rebounds.

Junior Mia Chapman (Vienna, Va.) had 17 points and nine rebounds and seniors Caitlin Blackman (Gainesville, Va.) and Jenna Weinstein (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) had 10 points each with Blackman grabbing 14 rebounds.

After D'Amours' basket early in the game, the Bears scored just three foul shots the rest of the first quarter. They missed the final 13 field goal attempts after that basket and went 1-for-17 (six percent) in the quarter.

Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) hit a free throw with 5:09 to go to make it 8-3 and Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, Mass.) hit two foul shots with 2:59 remaining to close Dickinson's advantage to 14-5.

But the Red Devils scored the final nine points of the quarter to take a 23-5 lead. Marion scored seven points to lead Dickinson in the quarter.

BSU moved within 32-22 at halftime as the Red Devils went 3-for-14 in the second quarter while the Bears improved to 6-for-19.

BSU was behind, 31-17, with 3:16 to go in the half, but a basket and two free throws by D'Amours and a Piche foul shot cut the deficit to 10 by the break.

The Bears could not get any closer than 10 in the second half and were behind, 49-32, going into the fourth quarter.

BSU missed its first 10 shots in the third quarter before a Piche layup made it 44-38 with 3:03 remaining.

Two layups after steals by Gallagher made it 44-32 with 1:59 to go, but Chapman finished the quarter with two layups, one part of a three-point play, for a 17-point lead after 30 minutes.

Dickinson held a 54-46 lead with 6:28 left when it scored six points on one possession. 

Weinstein was fouled and made two free throws and Marion converted two foul shots after a technical was called. Marion then drove in for a layup with 6:11 left to boost the lead to 60-46.

Dickinson upped the lead to 27 points (67-40) in the final quarter, and BSU managed to crack the 50-point barrier in the final minute on baskets by sophomore Emily Quinn (Lancaster, Mass.) and Peebles.

BSU coach Bridgett Casey was denied for the second straight game in her bid to record the 400th win of her career with the Bears.

Dickinson plays Washington University Sunday at 9:30 a.m. while BSU will have a practice day.

BSU then takes on Washington Monday, a team that is ranked 15th in the D3hoops.com poll and 19th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll.