Men's Basketball Edges MCLA in Overtime, 71-70

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Senior forward Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.) drained a pair of free throws with 0.7 seconds on the clock in overtime to propel the visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team past the MCLA Trailblazers, 71-70, in a wild and frantic finish to the MASCAC opener for both clubs.

The Bears improve to 7-5 overall (1-0 MASCAC) while MCLA drops to 3-9 (0-1 MASCAC).

The final minute was as frantic as could be.  The Bears tied the game at 68-all when senior forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) converted a pair of free throws with 46 seconds left.  MCLA failed to convert on the next possession and Lofton was fouled again, this time with 23 ticks remaining.  He sank the first before missing the second giving MCLA a shot at the game-winner.

Following a timeout, MCLA senior guard Ruben DelRosario (Springfield, Mass.) drained a turnaround jumper from just inside the free throw line that appeared to win it for the Trailblazers.  However there were 0.7 seconds left, and MCLA was whistled for a technical foul for leaving the bench area giving the Bears two free throws to win it.

Bridgewater sent Gibson to the stripe and he calmly buried both to give send the Bears to the 71-70 victory.  Gibson was 15-16 from the line in the contest collecting a game high 21 points to go along with six rebounds, two blocked shots and a pair of steals.

The Bears also had a chance to win the game in regulation.  MCLA freshman forward Khalil Paul (Troy, N.Y.) tied the game at 63-63 on a driving layup with 14 seconds left.   Gibson's last second shot was blocked by sophomore center Dakari Hannah-Wornum (Worcester, Mass.) sending the game into the extra session.

In the second half and overtime, neither side led by more than four points and the contest featured 13 ties and four lead changes.

In the opening stanza, Bridgewater controlled play early and jumped out to an early twelve point lead at 18-6 with 12:24 left in the half.  From there, MCLA began to chip away at the Bears.  The Trailblazers used a 9-0 run to get within 18-15 as the Bears missed seven straight shots allowing the hosts to inch closer.

The Bears would extend the lead to seven points at 22-15 on a Fawaz Mass (Taunton, Mass.) drive, and then led again at 27-20 with 3:46 remaining.  MCLA would then close the half by scoring the final eight points to grab a 28-27 halftime advantage, their only lead of the night.  Sophomore forward Adam Conquest (Gardner, Mass.) scored five points in the closing spurt, finishing with 11 in the half.

Lofton was tough all night filling the stat sheet with 18 points, a season-high 13 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal as he recorded his fourth double-double of the season.  Junior guard Tyler DeMelo (East Freetown, Mass.) chipped in with ten points.

The Bears shot just 30% from the floor in the win but went to the charity stripe 36 times converting 27 free throws. Poor free throw shooting in the overtime period nearly proved costly as the Bears missed five attempts (1-for-6) from the line in the final two minutes.

For MCLA, Conquest posted a team-high 19 points.  DelRosario added 12 points while junior guard Paul Maurice (Mattapan, Mass.) had 11.  Hannah-Wornum finished with 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.  The Trailblazers shot 40% in the game.

The MASCAC schedule resumes for both teams on Saturday.  The Bears travel to Westfield State University to take on the Owls at three, while the Trailblazers entertain Worcester State University also at three.

Notes: With his 18 points, Lofton moved past Harry Grabert (1,189 pts.) and Paul Sargent (1,200 pts.) into 16th place on the Bears' all-time scoring list.  Lofton now has 1,202 points in four seasons at Bridgewater State.