Both Bears Basketball Teams Predicted to Finish 1st In MASCAC Standings
There are many reasons to be excited about BSU Bears basketball this year, as both the Bears’ men’s and women’s basketball teams are predicted to win the MASCAC Conference in the 2024-25 season. In a recent coaches poll, both teams received the most first-place votes, each receiving four.
Last season, the men’s team finished 9-3 in the conference, while the women’s team finished 10-2. The men’s team received a total of 33 points in the conference standings, while the women’s received 24 points.
For those who don’t know, the MASCAC schools that have both are BSU, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Salem State, Westfield State, and Worcester State. The MCLA (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) has only men’s basketball.
In the men’s and women’s polls, Westfield State received one first-place vote, placing second in the men’s poll with 29 points. Westfield also tied for second with Framingham State in the women’s poll with 19 points.
The men’s team, led by third-year head coach Matt McLaughlin, secured an 85-78 win against the Saint Joseph’s Monks as part of the Wheaton Tip-Off Classic on Friday night. The Bears were led by Louis Jennings and Josh Campbell, who both scored 22 points in the win.
The women’s team, led by twenty-eighth-year head coach Bridgett Casey, opened their season with a loss against Bryant 80-57, also on Friday. The effort of Kylee Piche and Kylie Grassi was not enough to prevent a loss to Bryant, a Division I school.
The men’s team plays their home opener against Nichols College on November 13, with the women’s opening against MIT on November 15th. The men play their first conference game on January 8th at home against Salem State, with the women playing Salem on the same night. The Vikings placed fourth in both polls, with the men’s team receiving one first-place vote and 23 points. The Vikings’ women’s team received 13 points.
