BRUNSWICK, Maine  – Kylie Grassi scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Bridgewater State University Bears to a 67-54 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a non-conference match-up Saturday night in the third game of the 2023 Coastal Classic Women's Basketball Tournament hosted by Bowdoin College at Morrell Gymnasium.
 
Grassi was one of two Bears in double figures. Caroline Tripp added 10 points and seven rebounds on 5-for-12 shooting. Arielle Cleveland tossed in eight points and snagged a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
Husky senior Tara Flanders (Windham, Maine) earned her first double-double of the season to highlight the Huskies.  Named to the 2023 All-Classic Tournament Team, Flanders had 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Senior Franny Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) had 13 points.  Senior Liz Cote (Conway, N.H./Kennett) and Tamrah Gould (Manchester, N.H/Manchester Memorial) each had nine points.  Junior Jade Smedberg (Oxford, Maine/Oxford Hills) added eight points and seven rebounds.
 
The Records:
Southern Maine (1-3)
Bridgewater State (2-1)
 
Today's game marked the 10^th meeting between the Bridgewater State University Bears and the University of Southern Maine Huskies, and the first meeting since 2014 – a 67-49 win.  Southern Maine leads the overall series 8-2. Tonight's loss is the first for the Huskies against the Bears since a 60-56 loss on November 26, 1989.
 
 
How It Happened:

• Shooting 2-for-6 from the floor (2-for-2 FT), Ramsdell led USM with six points in the first half as Southern Maine held a slim 14-12 lead. Ramsdell's free throws at the 6:10 mark gave USM its largest lead 11-6 of the frame, but the Bears outscored the Huskies 6-3 in the final minutes to make it a one possession game.
• Southern Maine knocked down just two field goals in the second quarter, but went 8-for-10 from the free throw line.  Two free throws from Flanders again gave USM a five-point margin (17-12) early in the quarter, but the Bears bounced back with a 7-0 run to take the lead 18-17 with 6:12 to play in the half. Both teams exchanged baskets over the next several minutes and the Bears' Tripp hit a jumper with four second remaining to send the game into the half tied at 27.
• The Bears wrangled control of the game in the third, outscoring USM 11-2 in the opening four minutes to take a 38-29 lead with 5:55 on the clock.  Grassi had six of her 21 in the run.  USM was 0-for-5 from the floor during that stretch.
• The Huskies chipped away at the Bears' lead and pulled to within three twice, first on back-to-back scores from Cote and Smedberg to make it 38-35 (4:52) and then again on two free throws from Smedberg and a gthree from Cote to make it 43-40 (1:01).  But the Bears outscored USM 3-1 in the final second to lead 46-41 headed into the fourth.
• Grassi quickly grew the BSU lead to start  the fourth on a layup and a three-pointer to take its largest lead of the game 51-41 with 9:09 in regulation.  The Bears remained in front and led 54-44 with 6:48 to play before Flanders brought USM back to within two possessions on back-to-back plays with a three and a layup for a 54-49 game.  However, USM would never get closer than five points the rest of the way as the Bears closed the quarter on a 13-5 run for the final.

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Inside The Stats:

• Southern Maine shot 13-for-64 from the field (20.3 percent) and was 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) from three-point range.  USM was strong at the free throw line making 23-of-29. 
• After shooting a combined 11-for-34 in the opening half, Bridgewater State improved to shoot 16-for-34 (47 percent) in the second half. BSU scored 40 of its 67 points in the paint.
• Flanders is averaging a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game for the Huskies.  Her 14 rebounds in today's game are a career-high.  Cote and Gould lead USM in scoring averaging 10.8 points and 10.5 points per game respectively.

 
Up Next:
Southern Maine then travels to Bates College on Tuesday, November 21 (5:30 pm) for another non-conference match-up.
 
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