BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Kylie Gates (Pembroke, Mass.) and senior forward Abuk Teng (Manchester, N.H.) each reached the 1,000-point milestone as the visiting Salem State University women's basketball team posted a 90-79 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Bridgewater State University on Wednesday night at the Tinsley Center. The game marked the MASCAC opener for both teams.
The visiting Vikings improve to 7-7 (1-0 MASCAC) on the season with their first win over the Bears since 2018. Bridgewater falls to 7-6 with its fifth straight setback. The Bears had won each of the previous 12 meetings of the two teams.
Gates finished with a game-high 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range. She also added three rebounds, eight assists and a pair of steals.
Teng notched 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Vikings who also received double-double totals of 19 points and 19 rebounds (nine offensive) from junior forward Ernidia Goncalves (Everett, Mass.) as well as 19 points, nine boards and a pair of blocked shots from graduate forward Liz Zaiter (Peabody, Mass.). Goncalves also added two steals and three blocked shots.
Teng reached the 1,000-point plateau with a layup at the 7:24 mark of the first quarter. Gates' milestone basketball was a three-pointer with 1:31 left to play on the final period.
Sophomore guard Sophie Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) notched a season-high 19 points in 19 minutes off the bench to lead all BSU scorers. Bradbury went 5-for-14 from behind the arc.
Graduate guard Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, Mass.) checked in with 14 points, seven rebounds (four offensive), five assists and two steals for the Bears while senior guard Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) tallied 14 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Freshman guard Lexi Thompson (New Bedford, Mass.) added ten points, three rebounds, seven assists and four steals in 27 minutes off the bench.
The first half featured 15 lead changes. Bridgewater led 39-38 after a pair of free throws by junior guard Mairead Gallagher (Bridgewater, Mass.) with 3:23 left to play in the second quarter. The Bears, however, would not lead again.
On the strength of 13 points from Gates, Salem used a 22-5 run over the final three minutes of the second quarter and the first four minutes of the third quarter to open up a 60-44 lead. Later in the third period, a layup by Gates gave the Vikings their biggest lead of the game at 21 points (68-47).
Salem would maintain the double-digit advantage the rest of the way. The closest the Bears would get was a ten-point deficit (87-77) following a Grassi three-pointer with under two minutes left to play in the contest.
The Vikings shot 56.9% (37-65) on the evening including an impressive 8-for-11 (72.7%) from behind the arc. Salem finished with a 50-28 advantage in points in the paint.
Bridgewater struggled throughout the game connecting on just 31% (27-87) of its field goal attempts with an 8-for-33 (24.2%) clip from three-point range.
The BSU defense forced 27 turnovers and transition the Salem miscues into 33 points. The Bears also finished with a 25-16 edge on the offensive glass which led to a 21-13 edge in second chance points.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday. The Bears travel to Framingham State University for a two o'clock MASCAC game with the Rams while the Vikings host Husson University at five.