By Jim Fenton
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's basketball team has opened a two-game lead atop the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference standings.
The Bears held off Framingham State University, 66-57, on Saturday afternoon, outscoring the Rams, 9-0, in the final 1:25.
BSU (7-9) leads the conference with a 6-0 record and is two games up on second-place Framingham State, Salem State and Westfield State, who are all 4-2 with the first half of the schedule ending on Wednesday.
The Bears, who have won 17 straight MASCAC regular-season tournament games, have rebounded from a 1-9 start against non-conference opponents this season.
BSU limited Framingham State to 22 second-half points, and the Rams went 2-for-23 from 3-point range and had 20 turnovers.
Sophomore Reese Bartlett (Norwood, Mass.) led BSU with a career-high 19 points, making 10 of 11 foul shots, her most attempts and makes this season.
Bartlett also had eight rebounds and a career-best five assists.
Freshman Emilie von der Linden (Sanbornville, N.H.) scored 12 points, hitting 5 of 8 shots, to go with nine rebounds and three assists.
Freshman Savannah Azoff (Sandwich, Mass.) scored 11 points, making three 3-pointers, while senior Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, N.Y.), contributed nine points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Bears made 20 of 22 foul shots while the Rams went 13-for-22 at the line.
Framingham State, which would have moved into a first-place tie with a win, was led by sophomore Faith Greene (Worcester, Mass.) with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Greene picked up her fourth foul early in the fourth quarter and did not play the final 7:44.
Senior Kiara Cerruit (Canton, Mass.) added 14 points and seven rebounds while sophomore Jacqueline Schels (Hamburg, N.Y.) scored 10 points and had seven rebounds and three assists.
The Rams had trailed by five points with less than three minutes to go when they received two foul shots from Schels and a three-point play inside from senior Kelsey Yelle (Easton, Mass.) to tie it at 57 with 1:43 remaining.
But the Bears did not give up a point the rest of the way to earn the victory.
Junior Sophie Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) broke the tie with a clutch 3-pointer with 1:25 to go. It was the only field goal of the day for Bradbury who also went 4-for-4 at the free throw line and added three rebounds and a pair of assists.
Bartlett was fouled on a drive and hit two free throws with 40 seconds left for a 62-57 advantage, and following a Framingham State offensive foul, Bartlett connected on two more foul shots for a 64-57 edge.
The Bears trailed, 18-14, one quarter into the game as the Rams went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-6 lead.
Five points by Bartlett enabled BSU to lead, 11-10, but Framingham State scored the next six points.
A layup by Yelle in the final minute enabled the Rams to go up by four.
BSU went on a 10-0 run in the second quarter after being behind, 20-14.
Sophomore Bridgitt O'Sullivan-Von Etten (Cumberland, R.I.) converted a three-point play, Azoff made a 3-pointer and von der Linden scored four points for the 24-20 edge.
Two Bradbury free throws and a layup by von der Linden had the Bears ahead, 28-23, and BSU was in front, 33-29, with 2:37 to go.
But the game was even at 35 at halftime with BSU managing just a von der Linden layup in the final 2:30.
The Rams opened a 41-35 lead just 2:08 into the second half, Greene scoring four of the points with the Bears missing four straight shots.
A layup by sophomore Shania Gardner (Brockton, Mass.) gave BSU its first points of the third quarter with 3:56 elapsed.
The Bears pulled even at 45 on a three-point play by Bartlett with 1:11 to go, and Framingham State held a 46-45 lead going into the fourth quarter after a foul shot by Cerruti.
BSU made only 2 of 13 shots in the third quarter.
The Bears opened a 50-46 lead with 6:58 remaining on three Bartlett foul shots and two by von der Linden.
A layup by Azoff with 6:21 to go gave BSU a 52-48 lead with 6:21 left, but Cerruti answered with a 3-pointer with 6:11 to go.
Azoff made a contested 3-pointer with 3:33 left for a 57-52 lead before the Rams scored five in a row.
BSU shot 35 percent from the floor and was 6-for-21 on 3-pointers.
The Bears close out the first half of the MASCAC schedule Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., hosting Worcester State.
Framingham State will be at Anna Maria on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. game.