Connor, Yard Lead Men's Hoops to 110-73 Win over Framingham

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. --  Senior guard Corey Connor (Providence, R.I.) poured in 23 points and sophomore guard Shawn Yard (Brockton, Mass.) posted a double-double with 18 points and ten assists, to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a convincing 110-73 victory over MASCAC rival Framingham State University on Thursday night in Bridgewater.

Host Bridgewater improves to 14-8 on the season and 5-4 in the MASCAC.  The Bears are currently in the third place in the conference standings.  Framingham falls to 8-13 overall and 4-6 in MASCAC play.

Connor finished 8-for-12 shooting for the game and knocked down 5 of 8 three-point attempts.  All told, the Bears were 14-for-27 (52%) shooting from three-point range.  Yard, whose ten assists marked a career high, also recorded six steals. 

Bridgewater quickly opened up a double-digit lead in this one, outscoring the Rams 15-4 over the first three minutes of the contest. Framingham pulled to within five points with 3:28 remaining in the first half and were trailing 45-40 with under two minutes left.  The Bears, however, would close out the half on a 9-2 run capped off by a Judah Jackson (Everett, Mass.) buzzer-beating three-pointer as the teams headed to the intermission with Bridgewater leading 54-42.

The Bears would dominate play in the second half, outscoring the Rams, 56-31.  A 14-2 run to start the final stanza blew the game wide open. Bridgewater led by as many as 39 points (97-58) and coasted to the 110-73 win.

BSU shot 59% (43-73) for the game from the floor and turned Framingham's 17 turnovers into 30 points. The game marked the third time this season that the Bears have eclipsed the 100-point plateau.  The school record of 119 points was set back in 1974 against Fitchburg State.

Senior forward Nicholas Motta (Fairhaven, Mass.) added 13 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals for the Bears who had 14 different players score in the game.  Jackson finished with 12 points off the bench on 5 of 7 shooting while junior guard Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and four assists as the Bridgewater bench outscored the Rams' reserves by a margin of 45-16.

Senior guard Royce Veal (Dorchester, Mass.) paced the visiting Rams with a game-high 27 points.  Junior guard Marcus Mclaurin (Braintree, Mass.) added 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Framingham shot just 38% (26-68) from the floor.

The MASCAC schedule resumes for both teams on Saturday.  Bridgewater travels to Worcester State University for a 5:30 game with the Lancers, while Framingham hosts MCLA at three.