Bridgewater, Mass. – The second seeded Framingham State University women’s basketball team led by tournament MVP Jacqueline Schels defeated top seed Bridgewater State in the finals of the 2026 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Tinsley Center. The Rams receive the MASCAC’s automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament with the bracket being announced on Monday, March 2nd at 2:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
– Scores: Framingham State 63, Bridgewater State 59
– Records: Framingham State (17–10), Bridgewater State (16-11)
– Location: Tinsley Center – Bridgewater, Mass.
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Schels earned MVP honors after leading the Rams with 22 points, six rebounds, an assists, a steal and a block in the championship game. Schels connected on 8-of-19 from the floor including 5-of-11 from behind the arc. Schels put the Rams on top for good when she drained a three with 2:38 on the clock in the fourth.
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Kiara Cerruti also finished the day with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Kelsey Yelle came off the bench to score eight points. Abigail Martin added nine rebounds, two points, four assists and four steals.
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The Rams extended the lead to 11 on a pair of occasions in the second, including on a Yelle layup with 3:45 on the clock. The Bears closed the half with an 11-3 run cutting the Rams lead to 33-30 at the half.
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The Bears opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run taking a 39-33 lead with 6:22 on the clock. The Rams pulled within one, 44-43 on a Schels layup with 1:49 on the clock, but two teams traded buckets to close the frame and the Bears led 50-48 heading to the fourth.
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The Rams took the lead just under two minutes into the fourth on a Yelle layup. Tied at 54-54 with 4:51 to go, the Bears used a layup to go up 56-54, but Schels responded with a three and Greene added a jumper putting the Rams up 59-56 with 1:57 to go.
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Schels and Greene each went 1-of-2 from the stripe extending the lead to 61-56 with 22 seconds remaining. Sophie Bradbury sank a deep three for the Bears with 15 seconds left, but Zaria Anderson sank two free throws with 12 seconds left to seal the victory.
Release courtesy of Framingham State Sports Information
