Cosby' Leads Women's Basketball to 64-61 MASCAC Win at Framingham

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Junior guard Michaela Cosby (Walpole, Mass.) tallied a game-high 18 points and blocked the attempt at a game tying three with 5.3 seconds remaining as the Bridgewater State University Bears defeated the host Framingham State University Rams, 64-61, this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) women's basketball action at Framingham's Athletic Center.

With the win, Bears remain atop the MASCAC standings at 7-1 in the conference and 13-6 overall, while the Rams fall to 11-9 overall and 2-6 in the MASCAC.

Cosby tallied her 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and filled the stat sheet with seven boards, three assists, three steals and a pair of blocks.  Sophomore guard Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) chipped in 17 points for the Bears including 4-of-6 from behind the arc, while senior forward Monica-Sabina Bharoocha (North Smithfield, RI) was the other Bear to record double figures with 11.

The Rams were led by sophomore guard Kristen Hoffman's (Foxboro, Mass.) team-best 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.  Junior forward Kia Minor (Edgartown, Mass.) racked up a double-double with 15 points and a game-best ten boards, while junior guard Madeleine Park (Blue Hill, Maine) and senior forward Emily Clark (Melrose, Mass.) tallied 10 points apiece.

In a first half that saw three ties and seven lead changes, the Bears used a 7-0 run late in the frame to take the largest lead (38-32).  The spurt was highlighted by five points from Cosby including a three-point play the old fashioned way.  A three-point play from Minor in the final minute cut the Rams deficit to 40-35 at the half.

The second half mirrored the first with the game being tied on five occasions, but the Rams were never able to move back into the lead.  Park tied the contest for the final time on a three from the top of the key with 3:03 left, but senior guard Ciara Shaughnessy (Lowell, Mass.) put the Bears back in the lead for good with a trifecta of her own thirty seconds later.

A Park steal and lay-in by senior guard Jill Johnson (Mansfield, Mass.) cut the Rams deficit to one with 23.3 remaining in the game, but after a Ram foul Cosby calmly sank a pair of free throws to put the Bears back ahead by three (64-61).  The Rams called timeout and set up a play for the game tying three, but a block out of bounds on the attempt by Cosby kept the Bears in the lead. The Rams had one last shot at the tying three-pointer but senior forward Shelly DePina (New Bedford, Mass.) blocked the Rams final attempt as time expired to seal the victory.

The Rams return to MASCAC action on Saturday at Fitchburg State at 1 p.m., while the Bears host Western Connecticut State on Thursday at 7 p.m.