BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Senior guard Vanesa Conceicao (New Bedford, Mass.) and junior forwards Jennie Lindland (Edgartown, Mass.) and Chanelle Melton (Brockton, Mass.) scored 18 points apiece to lead the Bridgewater State University women's basketball team to a 74-64 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Worcester State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.
With the win, the Bears even their record at 11-11 on the season and improve to 8-2 in the MASCAC. The Lancers fall to 7-16 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
Lindland connected on 8 of 15 field goal attempts and filled the stat sheet with six rebounds, two assists and a game-high eight steals. Melton also added four offensive rebounds to go along with five assists, a blocked shot and six steals, while Conceicao grabbed two boards, dished out four assists and recorded a pair of steals.
Freshman center Britt Herring (West Brookfield, Mass.) posted a double-double with 16 points on 8 of 13 shooting to go along with ten rebounds to pace Worcester State. Freshman forward Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) added 12 points, 13 boards, three assists and two blocks as she also notched a double-double, while sophomore guard Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) chipped in with 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range.
Worcester State led 40-32 after two periods of play as the Lancers shot 60% (15-25) from the floor over the first 20 minutes including 3-for-4 (75%) from behind the arc. The visitors also held a 21-10 rebounding advantage.
Herring paced the Lancers with ten points in the first half, while Hackett added nine and Berkel chipped in with eight.
BSU's defensive pressure kept the score close as the Bears forced 15 turnovers over the first two quarters thanks in part to nine steals. Bridgewater, however, shot just 38% (13-34) from the floor in the first half including 1-for-8 (13%) from behind the arc. Melton led the Bears with ten points over the first 20 minutes while Conceicao and senior guard Stephanie DeSantis (Walpole, Mass.) tallied seven apiece.
A Hackett jumper to open the third quarter extended the WSU advantage to 42-32. The Bears, however, dominated play over the next six minutes outscoring the Lancers by a margin of 22-0 to take a 54-42 lead. Lindland scored 12 points and registered three steals during the run, while the Lancers turned the ball over 12 times. Bridgewater would ultimately take a 57-49 lead into the final period as they outscored the Lancers 25-9 in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was fairly evenly played with the Lancers getting no closer than six points and the Bears getting up by as many as 12 on three different occasions.
All told, the BSU defense recorded 23 steals which helped lead to 35 Worcester turnovers. The Bears, who committed just eight turnovers all game long, held a 30-11 advantage in points off turnovers and attempted 22 more shots than the Lancers as well as 12 more free throws.
Bridgewater shot 43% (28-65) for the game and connected on 15 of 23 (65%) free throws. Worcester shot the ball very well throughout the contest but was done in by the turnovers. The Lancer shot 61% (26-43) from the floor.
Freshman guard Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' double-digit scorers as she finished with 11 points
The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Wednesday evening. The Bears host the Owls of Westfield State University at 5:30 while the Lancers travel to Framingham State University for a six o'clock game with the Rams.
Release Courtesy of Bridgewater State Sports Information