Men's Basketball Downs UMass Boston in Double Overtime, 83-76

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Freshman guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) scored a career-high 23 points and junior forward Greg Romanko (Mansfield, Mass.) added 18 including a clutch three-pointer at the end of regulation as the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team posted a dramatic 83-76 double overtime victory over visiting UMass Boston on Thursday evening at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 4-8 on the season while the Beacons slip to 5-7.

Carney connected on 7 of 15 field goal attempts, including 4-for-8 from three-point range. He also went 5-for-7 at the free throw line and dished out four assists. Romanko knocked down 4 of 9 three-point tries, including the game-tying trifecta which sent the game to overtime. He also added eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

Junior guard Fawaz Mass (Taunton, Mass.) chipped in 17 points and six rebounds for the Bears before fouling out late in the second half.

Sophomore guard Maurice Magras (Medford, Mass.) poured in a game-high 24 points to go along with three steals to pace UMass before fouling out late in the second overtime session. Magras, who converted 9 of 15 field goals and 4-for-9 from behind the arc, sent the game to a second overtime with a clutch game-tying three-pointer.

UMass junior center Sam Freeman (Boston, Mass.) posted a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 16 points, while junior forward Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.) also finished with double-double totals of 13 points and 12 boards. Senior guard Quadry Allen (White Castle, La.) chipped in 14 points for the Beacons.

Bridgewater led 13-2 early, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers by Carney and Romanko, as the Bears held the Beacons to just two points over the first seven minutes of the contest. UMass answered with a 10-2 run  sparked by a pair of three-pointers and a layup by Allen, to cut the deficit to 15-12 with just under ten minutes remaining in the half. Offenses struggled for both teams the rest of the first half as they managed just eight points apiece. BSU would take a 23-20 lead into the break.

Mass and Allen led all players with eight points apiece over the first twenty minutes.

The Bears shot just 25% (5-20) in the first half including 2-for-11 from behind the arc (18%), but went 11-for-13 (85%) at the free throw line. The Beacons shot 30% (8-27) from the floor in the opening stanza and just 14% (2-14) from long range.

A three-pointers by Magras followed by a an Allen layup gave the Beacons their first lead of the game, 25-23, early in the second half. Mass answered with a jumper to knot the score at 25 apiece.

UMass would allow just a pair of Mass free throws over the next seven minutes as the Beacons opened up a 32-27 lead as the clock ticked under 11 minutes. UMass extended the advantage to 11 (51-40) following back-to-back layups by Freeman and seemed in control of the game with 2:59 left to play.

Bridgewater, however, answered with eight straight points on a Carney three-pointer, a traditional three-point play by freshman guard Jamir Henderson (Mattapan, Mass.) and a Romanko layup to cut the deficit to three, 51-48, with 1:45 remaining.  After a UMass turnover, the Bears had a chance to tie the game but a three-pointer was off the mark.

A layup by freshman guard Erick Flores-Gonzalez (Chelsea, Mass.) put the Beacons back up by five, 53-48, but BSU sophomore guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) answered with two free throws to get the Bears back to within three. After UMass missed the front end of a one-on-one, Carney drove to the hoop for an uncontested layup to make it a one-point game (53-52) with 14 seconds remaining. The Bears fouled immediately and Allen buried both free throws to put the Beacons up 55-52. Romanko then drilled a three-pointer with five seconds showing on the scoreboard to send the game to overtime.

Two Carney three-pointers and one by Romanko helped the Bears take a 64-63 lead with 1:24 left in overtime number one. A pair of Carney free throws with just 17 seconds left extended the BSU advantage to three, 66-63. However, Magras drained a long straight away three-pointer with just two seconds left to send the game to double overtime.

The Bears held the advantage in play in the second overtime session outscoring the Beacons by a margin of 17-10. A Romanko trifecta at the 2:02 mark gave BSU a 75-68 lead. Later in the period, junior guard Patrick McGuinness (New City, N.Y.) knocked down a three to extend the Bears' lead to ten, 80-70, and put the game out of reach.

Bridgewater connected on 8 of 13 three-point tries (62%) in the second half and overtime. The Bears made 38 trips (29-38) to the free throw line for the game compared to just 18 attempts (12-18) for the Beacons.

UMass held a 50-34 rebounding advantage including a 19-6 edge off the offensive glass. The Beacons outscored the Bears 38-18 in the paint and finished with a 17-5 advantage in second chance points.

DeAndrade, who played 47 out of a possible 50 minutes for the Bears, finished with seven points, six rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon at three. The Bears open Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play at home against Framingham State University, while the Beacons travel to Little East Conference foe Rhode Island College.