Sophomore Val Beckwith led the Bobcats with 17 points, while junior Maria Kostakis added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Bates (7-4) will play host Williams (9-2) in the championship game of the tournament Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Bridgewater State (5-5) received 13 points from Justine Farroba and Colleen Feeney in the loss. Feeney, playing in her first game for the Bears after transferring from Rhode Island College, also added a team-high nine rebounds. The Bears square off against Wheaton College at 3 p.m. tomorrow in the consolation game of the tournament.
A 10-0 run mid-way through the first half allowed Bates to take a 16-13 lead and turn it into a 26-13 advantage with 5:32 to go. Kostakis started the run with a three-pointer from the top of the key, and moments later Kellie Goodridge nailed a trey from the right corner for a nine-point lead. Beckwith capped the run with an easy lay-up coming off some nifty passing by Sarah Barton (six assists) and Kostaskis. Beckwith scored 11 of her 17 points in the opening half.
Bridgewater had no intentions of going quietly however, despite a 33-21 halftime deficit.
Farroba led the Bears back, driving to the hoop time after time in the final 20 minutes, then stepping back beyond the three-point arc and draining two treys. Her second three of the half cut the deficit to four. A steal and lay-in by Caitlin Feeney then made it 37-all, and an old-fashioned three-point play from Farroba on a slashing drive to the hoop gave Bridgewater a 40-37 lead with 14:50 left in the game.
Bates would not panic however, using a large 46-33 advantage on the glass to its favor. After a Beckwith basket in transition gave the Bobcats a 45-44 lead with 8:52 to play, a putback off an offensive board by Lauren Yanofsky (11 points, 5 rebounds) made it a three-point game.
Bridgewater would tie the game one more time on a close-range jumper by Colleen Feeney, but a three-point play by Barton in the paint gave Bates the lead for good with 5:08 to go.