Women's Basketball Fourth Seed in MASCAC Championship Tournament

Buzzards Bay, Mass. — Bridgewater State University has earned the top seed in the 2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championships, which begin on Tuesday, February 19th with quarterfinal round action and move to semi-final round play on Thursday, February 21st before concluding with the league championship game on Saturday, February 23rd.

Bridgewater State and second-seeded Worcester State University earned byes into the semi-finals and will await the winners of Tuesday's quarterfinal round contests, which will feature third-seeded Westfield State University hosting sixth-seeded Salem State University at the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass. and fourth-seeded Framingham State University hosting fifth-seeded Fitchburg State University at the Athletic & Recreation Center in Framingham, Mass., as both of those games will begin at 7:00 p.m. EST.

The two quarterfinal round winners will advance to the MASCAC semi-finals on Thursday evening, as the Framingham State-Fitchburg State victor will take on top-seeded Bridgewater State in one semi-final at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater, Mass., while the Westfield State-Salem State winner will take on Worcester State in the other semi-final at Lancer Gymnasium in Worcester, Mass., as both contests will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. EST. The two semi-final winners will meet for the 2013 MASCAC Championship and the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships on Saturday afternoon at the home of the highest remaining seed at a time to be determined following Thursday's semi-final round match-ups.

Bridgewater State captured its third MASCAC regular season title in four seasons under Head Coach Bridgett Casey with an overall mark of 21-3 (11-1 in league play), and the Bears are led in scoring by senior forward Michaela Cosby (Walpole, Mass.), who averages 14.4 ppg. Worcester State posted 13 regular season triumphs and went 9-3 in MASCAC action under Head Coach Karen Tessmer, as the Lancers are paced by senior center Meaghan O'Keefe's (Warren, Mass.) 16 ppg and 12.6 rpg.

Westfield State posted a 16-9 mark (8-4 in conference play) under Head Coach Andrea Bertini, as the Owls are led by sophomore center Gabby Felix (Springfield, Mass.), who averages 12.9 ppg and 7.9 rpg. Framingham State notched a 13-11 overall record and an even 6-6 MASCAC slate under Interim Head Coach Elizabeth Brosseau, and the Rams are paced in scoring by senior guard Madeleine Park's (Blue Hill, Maine) 15.6 ppg.

Fitchburg State collected 11 regular season triumphs, including four in MASCAC play, under Head Coach Walter Paschal this winter, and the Falcons are led by reigning conference Player of the Year Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass.), as the junior forward has posted a league-best 18.4 ppg while adding 7.9 rpg. Salem State rounds out this year's field, as the Vikings posted 11 overall victories (four in league action) under Head Coach Michelle Cunningham and are paced by sophomore guard Rachael Carter's (Merrimack, N.H.) 13.6 ppg.

Bridgewater State won its second straight MASCAC Women's Basketball Championship with a 76-66 victory over MCLA in last year's title game played at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater, Mass. The Bears have won three of the last five league titles, while Salem State has captured 16 of the 23 conference tournament titles overall since 1990.

Release courtesy of MASCAC Media Relations.