Women's Basketball Falls to Conference Leader Bridgewater State
Bridgewater, Mass. – The Framingham State University women's basketball team travel to conference leader Bridgewater State University and were defeated 77-67 by the Bears this afternoon in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action at the Tinsley Center.
The Bears improve to 13-9 on the season and 7-2 in the MASCAC. The Rams slip to 11-10 overall and 5-4 in conference play.
Bridgewater State senior guards Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) and Elisha Homich (Ludlow, Mass.) combined for 41 points. Williamson finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with five rebounds and five steals as she became the all-time leading scorer in BSU women's basketball history. Homich notched 20 points, five rebounds, seven assists and four steals as she became the 17th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
Senior guard Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) led four Rams in double-figure scoring as she notched 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists. Freshman forward Sarah Pallace (Auburn, Mass.) chipped in with 15 points, six boards, five assists and three steals, while freshman center Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Halls, Mass.) added 13 points, seven rebounds and a game-high six blocked shots. Freshman guard Carlee Putnam (Naintic, Conn.) came off the bench to score ten points and grab four rebounds.
Bridgewater led by just four (28-24) at the break despite forcing 17 first-half turnovers and holding Framingham to 31% (8-26) shooting. The Bears, however, shot just 24% (9-38) from the floor including 4-for-16 (25%) from behind the arc over the first twenty minutes.
The game stayed tightly contested for most of the second half as neither team led by more than four points until the two-minute mark. The final stanza featured eight ties and ten lead changes.
Putnam drained a three from the top of the key to tie the game and junior Margo McCarthy (Southampton, Mass.) converted a drive in the paint to put the Rams on top 61-59 with 6:02 on the clock. After a Bridgewater State free throw, Palace converted a bucket in the paint to push the Rams lead back to three. Four straight points by the Bears put the Rams down one, but a pair of Hoffman free throws with 4:07 on the clock put the Rams back in front by one.
Trailing by one, the Bears ran off seven straight points on layups from Homich, Williamson and senior guard Colleen Hanscom (Melrose, Mass.) as well as a free throw by classmate Tatyana Belizaire (Cambridge, Mass.), to take a 71-65 lead. The Rams turned the ball on four straight possessions during the run.
A Katelyn Iafolla (Franklin, Mass.) layup with 1:43 left to play cut the deficit to 71-67, but that was as close as the Rams would get.
Four free throws in the final minute as well as a Belizaire layup accounted for the rest of the scoring as the Bears secured the victory.
Bridgewater rebounded from a tough-shooting first half as the Bears connected on 53% (17-32) of their field goal attempts in the final stanza.
Framingham turned the ball over 30 times in the game thanks in large part to 19 BSU steals. The Rams shot 49% (26-58) from the floor.
Hanscom added 13 points for the Bears, while Belizaire notched seven points, seven rebounds and four steals. Freshman forward Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) scored nine points off the bench.
The MASCAC schedule resumes for both teams on Tuesday evening. Bridgewater hosts Worcester State University at 5:30 p.m., while Framingham entertains MCLA at six.