Motta's 31 Points Lifts Men's Hoops to 82-76 Win over Fitchburg

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Behind 31 points from senior forward Nicholas Motta (Fairhaven, Mass.), the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team posted a 82-76 come-from-behind victory over Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday afternoon in Bridgewater.

The Bears, who trailed by as many as ten points in the second half, used a late 13-1 run to come away with the win.  Bridgewater improves to 9-5 on the season and 2-1 in the MASCAC, while Fitchburg falls to 3-10 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Motta knocked down 12 of 19 field goal attempts including three three-pointers.  He also added nine rebounds and three steals.  With his 31 points, Motta increased his career scoring total to 1,180 as he moved past Roland Millien (1,160 points), Billy English (1,179 points) and Ken Brennan (1,179 points) into 17^th place on the Bears' all-time scoring list.

Trailing 66-60 with 5:25 left to play, the Bears scored 11 straight points in a three-minute stretch highlighted by six points from Motta and five by junior guard Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, Mass.).  Back-to-back jumpers by Motta gave the Bears their first lead since the 18:08 mark of the second half. Ryser then followed with a big three-pointer to make the score 71-66.  After Fitchburg connected on 1 of 2 free throws, sophomore guard Anthony Fortes (East Providence, R.I.) put in a driving layup to cap off the 13-1 run.  Bridgewater would knock down 9 of 10 free throws over the final 45 seconds to secure the win.

Ryser finished with 12 points, three assists and a pair of steals, while senior guard Judah Jackson (Everett, Mass.) added 19 points, five rebounds and two steals.  Bridgewater shot 52% (28-54) for the game and connected on 20 of 27 (74%) attempts from the charity stripe.

Senior forward Elliot Knower (Baldwinville, Mass.) paced Fitchburg State with 22 points on 8 of 10 shooting.  Sophomore center Zach Valliere (Douglas, Mass.) added 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals while senior guard Robert Hopkins (East Hartford, Conn.) and junior forward Tom Henneberry (Lexington, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points apiece.  The Falcons shot 51% (32-63) from the floor but committed 22 turnovers.

Bridgewater will host MASCAC rival Worcester State University next Thursday at 7:30 PM.  Fitchburg will also entertain Worcester on Tuesday at 7:30.