By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team tuned up for a first-place showdown with a lopsided victory Wednesday night.

The Bears opened a 30-point lead during the first half on the way to a 92-52 win over Fitchburg State University at the Tinsley Center. It was the second-highest point total of the season.

BSU (11-6) is 3-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference and plays at first-place Westfield State University (3-0) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

That game will conclude the first half of the MASCAC schedule for the Bears.

BSU is on a four-game winning streak after dropping five straight games. The Bears had won seven in a row earlier in the season.

BSU has now defeated Fitchburg State (3-14, 0-3 MASCAC) 13 games in a row since last losing to the Falcons on the road on Feb. 17, 2018.

Senior Arielle Cleveland (Groveland, Mass.) led the Bears with 18 points, making 7 of 10 shots, and had eight rebounds. Cleveland equaled a career-high in points as she also had 18 at Fitchburg State on Jan. 21, 2023.

Senior Kylie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) had 14 of her 17 points in the first half and also contributed seven rebounds. The Bears' all-time leading scorer, Grassi surpassed the 1,500-point barrier as she now has 1,516 points in her career.

Grassi also became just the second player in program history with 500 or more made field goals as she now has 501 in her career. BSU Hall of Famer Carolyn Parsley (1982-86) holds the school record with 535 made field goals.

Freshman Chloe Azoff (Sandwich, Mass.) came off the bench to score a career-best 16 points and had seven rebounds.

Graduate student Kylee Piche (Bridgewater, Mass.) scored all of her 14 points in the first half and added six rebounds and four assists. She missed only one of eight shots.

Senior Rylie Harlow (Hanson, Mass.) topped Fitchburg State with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Junior Kaelynn Tanner (Lowell, Mass.) added 14 points and six rebounds while senior Stephanie Hart (Shirley, Mass.) scored 10 points with eight rebounds.

BSU turned 30 Fitchburg State turnovers into 41 points and had 16 steals.

The Bears had a 59-35 rebounding edge and grabbed 23 offensive rebounds.

Fitchburg State, which is on an eight-game losing streak, held a 4-2 lead when junior Aliza Som (Lowell, Mass.) scored on a layup 2:26 into the game.

But BSU scored the next 10 points, six by Piche and four by Grassi, and after holding a 12-6 lead, the Bears scored 13 unanswered points.

The 23-2 run, which included a pair of 3-pointers by sophomore Sophie Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.), put BSU in front, 25-6 with 1:55 remaining in the opening quarter.

Two free throws with one second left by Azoff finished the scoring in the quarter for the Bears and gave them a 27-12 advantage.

After moving within 13 points early in the second quarter, the Falcons surrendered 11 points in a row and trailed, 40-16, with 7:42 left in the half.

Piche and Grassi had four points each in that spurt.

The Bears' lead reached 30 at 47-17 with 3:44 to go in the half after Cleveland made a 3-pointer and then scored on a layup in a 20-second span.

BSU scored 26 points off 18 turnovers by Fitchburg State, held a 31-15 edge in rebounds with 13 at the offensive end and had 12 steals.

The Bears outscored the Falcons, 24-14, in the third quarter to open a 75-37 lead going into the final 10 minutes.

Fitchburg State was unable to get any closer than 29 during the third quarter.

Cleveland scored 12 of her points in less than six minutes of that quarter.

The Bears used 16 players in the game with 13 of them scoring.

Tonight's game was also a KyleCares Foundation awareness event.

The family of Kyle Johnson createrd the KyleCares Foundation in 2019 in memory of Kyle and in recognition of his legacy of caring. KyleCares strives each day to promote open and honest communication about mental health challenges experienced by teens and young adults, and to assist in providing them with resources and support needed to navigate life's obstacles during their high school and college years. To learn more about this organization, visit their website at www.kylecaresinc.org.