NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Kira Wood and Jacqueline Ward led the Bears to a 92-69 win over Salem State on Saturday. With the win, the Bears improve to 5-7; the Vikings fall to 5-7.

Wood led all scorers with 23 points, while Ward followed with 19. Kelly Hagerty added 13 points followed by Taylor Lynch with eight. The Bears moved the ball well, led by Wood with five assists. Julia Man and Ward each had four assists, followed by Julia Barbalato with three. Lily Mika had three steals to lead the Bears, forcing the Vikings into 22 turnovers. Glory Blethen led the Bears with nine rebounds.

The Bears outscoured the Vikings in every quarter, with help from a half-court buzzer beater from Lynch to end the first half. The Bears used that momentum to come out of the half hot, exploding for 34 points in the third quarter. Ward drove in for the and one to keep the momentum with the Bears, forcing a Salem State timeout. However, the Bears continued their run, posting a 13-0 run with lockdown defense. 

Farrah Peterein started the Bears off strong in the fourth with a great pass from Lynch for the layup. Ward found Peterein again for a layup, pushing the lead to 80-52. Down the line, Mackenzie Hilden made 3-4 free throws for the Bears, securing the win.

The Bears, who assisted on 23 of their 33 field goals, saw action from the whole bench in the win. Alex Herron, Hilden, and Natasha Lange combined for six offensive rebounds to help the Bears outrebound the Vikings 52-40. The Bears shot 40.7% from the floor, 32.0% from the three, and 75.0% from the free throw line.

The Bears are back in action on Monday, January 2, as they head to Westfield State for a road game at 2 PM.