#1-Seeded Rams Defeat Bears To Advance To MASCA Conference Finals

By Framingham State athletics

FRAMINGHAM – The top seed Framingham State University women’s basketball team saw three players top the 20-point mark as the Rams defeated fourth seed Bridgewater State University 92-59 in one semifinal of the 2020 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament at the Athletic Center.

With the win, the Rams are 21-5.

The Bears are 11-16.

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• With the victory, the Rams tied the program record for wins in a season and will host the championship game of the MASCAC Tournament for the first time in program history. 
• The Rams will host third seed Worcester State on Saturday at 1 p.m.  The Lancers defeated second seed Westfield State in the other semifinal earlier this evening.
• The Rams were led by 24 points from senior guard Emily Velozo (Tewksbury, Mass.). Velozo connected on 8-of-15 from the floor including 4-of-9 from behind the arc.
• Freshman Flannery O’Connor (Amesbury, Mass.) and senior Mary Kate O’Day (Berlin, Mass.) finished with double doubles in the game.  O’Connor tallied 22 points with 13 boards, six assists, a steal and two blocks.  O’Day scored 21 with 11 boards, five assists and four steals.

• Freshman Katty Haidul (Wakefield, Mass.) tallied 11 points off the bench, while classmate Sarah Sullivan (Sheffield, Mass.) finished with five points, four blocks and nine rebounds.
• The Bears were led by 17 points from senior Nicole Bostick (East Taunton, Mass.).  Bostick connected on 4-of-8 from behind the arc in her final collegiate game.
• Sophomore Olivia Dziadyk (Wakefield, Mass.) finished just shy of a triple double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
• Hannah Dziadyk (Wakefield, Mass.) chipped in with nine points, while Destiny Fitzgerald (Medford, Mass.) added eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Rams opened the game with an 11-0 run fueled by a combined three threes from Velozo and O’Day.  Bridgewater answered with a 9-0 run of their own fueled by four points from Fitzgerald to pull within two, 11-9, with 4:28 left in the quarter.
• The Rams pushed the lead to 24-11 after a quarter, closing the opening frame with threes from freshman Gwendolyn Carpenter (Ashley Falls, Mass.) and O’Day.
• The Rams maintained the double digit advantage in the second quarter until a three by Sydney Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) with just over three remaining in the quarter cut the deficit to eight, 34-26, for the Bears. 
• The Rams closed the half outscoring the Bears 8-0 over the final 3:08 to lead 42-26 at the break.
• The Bears chipped away at the lead in the third quarter and trailed by 10, 53-43, midway through the frame, before the Rams closed the second quarter with a 17-7 run to lead by 20 after three.  The Rams maintained the sizeable lead throughout the fourth quarter leading by as many as 39 to secure the victory.

UP NEXT:                   

The top seeded Rams advance to the finals of the 2020 MASCAC Women’s Basketball Tournament and will host third seed Worcester State University at 1 p.m. 

The winner of the finals receives the MASCAC’s automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament.