Monteiro Nets 33 Points to Lead Men's Hoops to 79-71 Win over Westfield

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Brendan Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.) scored a career-high 33 points to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a 79-71 victory over visiting Westfield State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The host Bears improve to 7-7 on the season and 2-0 in the MASCAC, while the Owls fall to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Monteiro, who scored 24 of his 33 points in the second half, connected on 10 of 18 field goals including 3-for-5 from behind the arc.  He also knocked down 10 of 11 free throw attempts and recorded three steals.

BSU junior forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) posted his sixth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two blocks and two steals, while junior forward Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.) added eight points and ten board.

Bridgewater used a pair of second half runs to erase a nine-point deficit as the Bears trailed 44-53 midway through the stanza.  A 7-0 run pulled BSU to within two, 53-51, before Westfield junior guard Robby Jones (Chicopee, Mass.) answered with a three-pointer to push the Owls' lead back to five (56-51) with 6:19 remaining.

The Bears would respond with a 15-4 run over the next five minutes, highlighted by ten points from Monteiro, to take control of the game.  Monteiro capped off the run with a trifecta to give BSU a 66-60 advantage.  Bridgewater's lead would balloon to 11 (77-66) with 15 seconds left to play on a pair of Justin Clark (Yarmouth Port, Mass.) free throws.

Junior forward Dan Johnson (Belchertown, Mass.) paced the visiting Owls with 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting.  Johnson scored 17 points in the first half alone but did not score in the second half until connecting on his fourth three-pointer of the day with just ten seconds remaining.

Junior forward Grant Cooper (Northampton, Mass.) tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and three steals before fouling out late in the game.  Freshman guard Jesus Sanchez (Springfield, Mass.) added 12 points and six boards for Westfield who held a 42-34 rebounding advantage with a 15-8 edge on the offensive glass.

Bridgewater shot 44% (24-55) from the floor and connected on 5 of 15 (33%) three-point tries. The Bears rebounded from a tough first half to shoot 52% (13-25) from the field over the final twenty minutes.  The Bears also went 26-for-36 (72%) at the free throw line and converted 20 Westfield turnovers into 24 points.

The Owls struggled mightily from the charity stripe converting just 16 of 32 (50%) free throw attempts.

Bridgewater returns to action on Tuesday night when the Bears travel to MASCAC rival Framingham State University to take on the Rams at eight.  Westfield entertains non-conference foe Nichols College on Monday evening at six.