Men's Basketball Outlasts MCLA in Overtime, 64-55

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team outlasted visiting MCLA, 64-55, in overtime on Wednesday night at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 7-11 on the season and 3-3 in the MASCAC, while the Trailblazers slip to 4-14 overall and 0-6 in conference play.

Freshman guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) paced the Bears with 13 points and four rebounds, while junior guard Fawaz Mass (Taunton, Mass.) checked in with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) added eight points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Senior forward Khalil Paul (Troy, N.Y.) led the way for MCLA with a game-high 17 points and five rebounds. Junior center Dakari Hannah-Wornum (Dorchester, Mass.) finished with a game-best 17 rebounds, including seven off the offensive glass, to go along with six points and three blocked shots.

Bridgewater used a 10-0 run, powered by six points from freshman guard Jamir Henderson (Mattapan, Mass.), to open up a double-digit advantage (23-9) with 4:41 remaining in the first half. The Trailblazer, however, held the Bears scoreless for the rest of the half and closed it out with a 10-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to 23-19.

The two teams combined for 25 turnovers in the opening stanza and neither team shot the ball well. The Bears went 8-for-24 (33%) from the floor and just 1-for-9 (11%) from three-point range. The Trailblazers connected on 29% (8-28) of their field goal attempts and went 1-for-7 (14%) from behind the arc and 2-for-6 (33%) at the free throw line.

The second half featured four ties and eight lead changes. Trailing by one with under seven minutes remaining, junior forward Adam Conquest (Gardner, Mass.) converted a traditional three-point play to give MCLA a 40-38 lead. Following a BSU miss, Paul knocked down a trifecta to extend the advantage to 43-38.

A pair of Mass free throws at the 5:06 mark cut the BSU deficit to 43-40. Four possessions later, Mass knocked down a jumper to make it a one-point game (45-44) with 1:51 showing on the clock. Following an MCLA miss, Carney drained a clutch trifecta to give the Bears a 47-45 lead with just over a minute remaining in regulation. After another stop, the Bears had a chance to pad the lead but were unable to convert.

Out of a timeout, senior guard Paul Maurice (Boston, Mass.) put back the rebound of a missed jumper to knot the score at 47-47 with just three seconds left to play. The Bears had a chance to win the game in the final seconds but were unable to get off a shot.

In overtime, back-to-back three-pointers by Carney and junior forward Greg Romanko (Mansfield, Mass.) followed by a Joseph Carty (Natick, Mass.) free throw staked Bridgewater to a 54-48 lead with just over two minutes left to play. The Bears went 8-for-11 from the free throw line over the final 90 seconds to secure the 64-55 victory.

Carty finished with ten points, five rebounds and a pair of assists, while Romanko tallied six points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

After shooting just 31% (17-54) in regulation, Bridgewater finally got untracked in overtime. The Bears went 3-for-5 from the floor including 2-for-3 from behind the arc during the extra session.

The Trailblazers shot just 29% (21-72) for the game, but outrebounded the Bears by a margin of 58-45 with a 23-12 edge on the offensive glass. MCLA finished with a 20-6 advantage in second chance points as well as a 36-24 edge in points in the paint.

The Bears are off until next Wednesday night when they travel to Framingham State University for an eight o'clock MASCAC tilt with the Rams. The Trailblazers host MASCAC rival Worcester State University on Saturday afternoon at three.

Notes: Tonight's game was part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Week. Members of the coaching staffs sported sneakers with their suits to raise awareness, share the importance of nutrition and physical activity, and to promote the American Cancer Society.