BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team opened the 2021-2022 season with a 76-68 victory over visiting Emerson College on Thursday evening at the Tinsley Center.

Junior guard Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) poured in a career-high 22 points to lead the way for the host Bears. Bradbury knocked down 4 of 9 three-point attempts and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. She also added five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Senior guard Olivia Dziadyk (Wakefield, Mass.) checked in with 12 points, four rebounds and four assist for Bridgewater State, while junior guard Kylee Piché (Bridgewater, Mass.) tallied nine points, five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth, Mass.), junior forward Nina Morrison (Raynham, Mass.) and junior guard Ainsley Jolin (Rehoboth, Mass.) added eight points apiece for the Bears off the bench with Tripp also dishing out four assists.

Four players finished in double-figure scoring for the Lions with sophomore guard Olivia Deslauriers (West Hartford, Conn.) and junior guard Chelsea Gibbons (Foxborough, Mass.) leading the way with 14 points apiece. Delauriers added three rebounds, two assists and four steals, while Gibbons recorded game-high totals of seven rebounds and six steals. Freshman forward Devin Hill (Edgartown, Mass.) contributed 13 points off the bench for Emerson, and junior forward Carla Pelino (San Jose, Calif.) notched ten points and a game-best six assists.

Bridgewater led 29-19 with three minutes remaining in the second quarter. Emerson, however, closed out the half with a 9-0 run, highlighted by a three-pointer from sophomore guard Ava Salti (Melville, N.Y.), to make it a one-point game (29-28) heading into the intermission.

The Bears shot 37.5% (12-32) from the floor in the first half and went 3-for-10 from behind the arc. The Lions connected on 37% (11-30) of their first half field goal attempts and went just 1-for-9 from three-point range.

Bradbury paced Bridgewater State with eight points over the opening 20 minutes, while Hill tallied seven points for Emerson.

The Lions came out strong to open the second half and outscored the Bears 15-9 over the first 6 ½ minutes of the third quarter to open up a 43-37 lead. Bridgewater answered with a 15-4 run to close out the period as the Bears took a 52-47 lead into the final quarter. Bradbury highlighted the run with a pair of trifectas while Piche and Dziadyk also connected from behind the arc.

Bridgewater never relinquished the lead in the fourth quarter and held a  67-59 advantage following a Jolin trifecta with 3:40 left to play. The Lions, however, would continue to hang around as a Deslauriers three-pointer was followed by a layup and free throw by Gibbons to cut the deficit to two (67-65). Jolin responded with another three-pointer to make it a five-point game, but a Hill three-point play pulled the Lions to within two (70-68) with just 52 seconds showing on the scoreboard. Emerson would not score again. Tripp dropped in a layup and the Bears went 4-for-6 from the free throw line over the final 37 seconds to close out the game.

The Bears shot 57% (16-28) in the second half including an impressive 8-for-11 (73%) from three-point range. The Lions knocked down 45% (14-31) of their field goal attempts over the final 20 minutes, but went just 2-for-12 from behind the arc.

The two teams combined for 54 turnovers in the contest. Bridgewater held a 41-31 rebounding advantage, while Emerson made eight more trips to the free throw line. The Lions finished 15-for-20 (75%) at the free throw line for the game. The Bears connected on 9 of 12 from the charity stripe.

Both teams are back in action this weekend. The Bears (1-0) entertain Suffolk University on Saturday at noon, while the Lions (1-2) host George Fox University on Sunday at afternoon at one  o'clock.