Hannah Dziadyk's career outing powers BSU women's basketball, Bridgett Casey's coaching longevity honored

BRIDGEWATER – Hannah Dziadyk knew the best way to break out of her recent shooting slump.

The 5-foot-6 senior guard for the Bridgewater State University women’s basketball team just kept on shooting and it helped her break out in a big way Saturday afternoon against Westfield State.

More: Kayla Raymond accomplishes one thousand and more for Stonehill College women's basketball

Dziadyk turned in a stellar performance, netting 24 of her career-high 29 points in the first half while also splashing in seven 3-pointers to power the Bears to their seventh win in their last eight games with a 94-82 a Massachusetts State Athletic Conference victory over the Owls at the Tinsley Center.

“It comes down to confidence and I re-energized confidence into myself and my teammates and my coaching staff did as well,” said Dziadyk, who had hit only two triples in the previous five games. “Confidence was really huge for me. I just wanted to go out there, play loose, let the game come to me.”

Dziadyk added: “It did feel amazing out there, just shooting lights out. The bench (had) energy, our team was great. I really felt confident in the first half.”

Dziadyk’s long-range shooting sparked BSU (15-7, 7-2 MASCAC) early on as she teamed up with East Bridgewater native Sydney Bradbury, who posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists, to tally 20 of the Bears’ 22 second-quarter points to take a 46-37 halftime lead.

More: Hingham's Matty Beniers gets upper-hand on Michigan teammates in U.S. Olympic hockey win

More: Norwell's Drew Commesso makes U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey history

Dziadyk buried back-to-back 3-pointers at the start of the frame and after Bradbury drained one, they both set up one another to score from deep again and create some separation from Westfield (13-11, 7-4).

Dziadyk wasn’t done yet in the quarter as the Bears played inside-out and junior guard Ainsley Jolin found Dziadyk alone on the perimeter for another 3-pointer before Dziadyk’s first-half scoring barrage concluded with a runner in the lane.

“She kept at it and she put in some extra work after practice to get some shots up, so I think that obviously helped,” said BSU coach Bridgett Casey of Dziadyk. “Once you hit your first couple, the rest just start falling.”

The hot shooting from Dziadyk wasn’t the only thing propelling BSU. The Bears displayed an unselfishness on the court to register an incredible 37 assists on 39 made baskets for the game.

“Doesn’t get better than that,” Dziadyk said.

Bradbury, along with sophomore point guard Caroline Tripp (Plymouth), led the superb passing attack with 10 assists apiece while Jolin added six helpers.

The pristine ball movement allowed several players to flourish in the second half as Westfield’s defense focused on Dziadyk. Freshman center Jannise Avelino stepped up by scoring nine of her 17 points in the third quarter and along with freshman forward Kylie Grassi (13 points) of Plymouth, who shook off early foul trouble, they sparked a game-altering 17-4 run that opened up a commanding 69-46 advantage with 3:28 left in the third quarter.

In all, five players finished in double figures in scoring for BSU as senior center Destiny Fitzgerald was among the group with 12 points.

“I think just passing the ball around and putting ourselves in position to take high percentage shots and that’s what we really focus on,” Casey said. “Couple of games where we haven’t been successful, it’s too quick of a shot, not the right person at the right time. We’ve really, really strived for getting that perfect shot at that possession.”

The offensive explosion is nothing new to the Bears this season as they have scored over 90 points five times this year, including putting up 105 in its previous game against Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. However, the high-flying attack isn’t something the Bears have always had in the past. At 75.5 points per game, it’s BSU’s largest scoring output in over a decade.

While Casey maintains the team’s first priority is on the defensive end and then creating high-percentage shots, BSU’s eye-popping offense with its depth of playmakers has certainly made a difference, and could continue to do so going forward.

“I think we’re just playing as a complete group right now,” Dziadyk said. “Everyone’s being unselfish, feeding the hot hand. Today happened to be me. Next game could be any of (the) great players that we have on this team. I think we can go deep if we keep moving and sharing the ball and playing together.”

Casey’s coaching longevity honored

Prior to the game, Casey, the all-time winningest coach in BSU women’s basketball history, was honored for being in her 25th season at the helm of the Bears. Several former players were in attendance and Casey said having the alums of the program come back is one of the best parts of the job.

More: EXCLUSIVE CLUB: Bridgewater State men's basketball coach Joe Farroba notches milestone win

“I love coaching,” said Casey as the win over Westfield gives her 351 career victories. “Not only on the court, but turn them into young women. … They’re truly special people and it was awesome to see.”

Casey’s first year with the Bears came in the 1997-98 season and she has enjoyed plenty of success. Casey has made six NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure and the four-time MASCAC Coach of the Year has guided the Bears to six conference tournament titles, the last one coming in 2015.

“Coach is amazing,” said Dziadyk, whose twin sister, Olivia, is also on the team. “When she was recruiting us, she used to go to all of our high school games. She was super supportive. She always is supportive. She always tells me on the court, ‘Hey next shot. You’re making this next one.’ She really gives confidence to everybody on the team.”

Other local college basketball action

The BSU men’s basketball team lost its third game in a row, falling to Westfield, 89-74. Justin Parsons came off the bench to pace the Bears, who are now 4-15, with 17 points.

Kayla Raymond, who returned after a one-game absence due to illness, helped the Stonehill College women's basketball team earn its seventh win over its nine games as the former Oliver Ames standout poured in a game-high 26 points and recorded three blocks to power the Skyhawks (10-7) to a 65-51 win over Assumption.

Behind 18 points from Owen Chose, the Stonehill men’s basketball team earned its second win in a row by holding off Assumption, 65-58. The Skyhawks now hold a 13-10 record.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Hannah Dziadyk breaks out as BSU women's basketball keeps rolling