Carty Leads Men's Hoops to 83-77 MASCAC Win Over Fitchburg

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Junior forward Joseph Carty (Natick, Mass.) posted a double-double with season-high totals of 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to an 83-77 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Fitchburg State University on Wednesday evening at the Tinsley Center.

The host Bears improve to 8-7 on the season and 1-1 in the MASCAC as they snapped a four-game losing streak. The Falcons fall to 5-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Fitchburg has dropped two straight games and four of its last five.

Carty, who scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half, went 8-for-16 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Five of his 15 boards came off the offensive glass, and he also added three assists and a pair of blocked shots.

Junior guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) added 19 points on 5 of 7 shooting to go along with three assists and four boards, while senior guard Keyon Armstrong (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in with 14 points, three rebounds, a steal and a block in 30 minutes off the bench.

Senior guard Jaleel Bell (Dorchester, Mass.) paced Fitchburg with 23 points, nine boards and a pair of assists. Senior forward Jalen Williams (Meriden, Conn.) contributed 12 points and six boards, while junior forward Chima Ebele (Hyde Park, Mass.) contributed ten points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Junior forward Joshua Bosworth (Springfield, Mass.) added ten points in 22 minutes off the pine for the visitors.

The first half featured nine ties and nine lead changes as Fitchburg led 30-28 at the break. Neither team shot the ball very well over the first 20 minutes. The Falcons connected on 36% (12-33) of their field goal attempts while the Bears shot 37% (11-30) from the floor and just 4-for-17 (24%) from behind the arc. Fitchburg  dominated the inside game as they outscored the Bears 22-8 in the paint.

Williams paced the visitors with eight points and five rebounds, including four off the offensive glass, in the opening stanza, while Bell notched six points and six boards. DeAndrade led Bridgewater State with eight points, while Carty contributed four points and pulled down eight boards.

Fitchburg went 5-for-5 from three-point range over the first eight minutes of the second half to open up a nine-point lead, 54-45. Bell knocked down a trio of trifectas during that span.

A 10-4 BSU run highlighted by six points from Carty pulled the Bears to within three and forced a Fitchburg timeout with 8:31 remaining in the game. Later in the period, a layup by senior forward Michael Soares (Milford, Mass.) cut the deficit to one (63-62) with 5:54 left to play and forced another Falcon timeout.

Following a Bell jumper, Armstrong drained a three from the corner to knot the score at 65-65. Bell made 1 of 2 free throws at the other end of the floor and Carty answered with a layup to give the Bears a 69-68 advantage. Bosworth knocked down a pair of free throws to reclaim the lead for the Falcons, but Carty answered with a layup followed by two free throws to put the Bears up 71-68 with a little over three minutes remaining.

After Bell made 1 of 2 at the line to make it a two-point game, the Falcons forced a turnover and had two chances to either tie the game or retake the lead but were unable to convert. DeAndrade drove to the hoop for a layup to extend the BSU advantage to 73-69 with roughly 90 seconds left to play.

Bridgewater would go 10-for-12 at the charity stripe over the final 59 seconds to come away with the 83-77 win. Fitchburg went 4-for-11 from the floor and 1-for-3 at the line after falling behind 69-68.

The Bears shot 52% (15-29) from the floor, 40% (4-10) from three-point range and 84% (21-25) at the free throw line in the second half. The Falcons also shot the ball well over the last 20 minutes going 18-for-28 (64%) from the floor and 56% (5-9) from behind the arc. Fouls were a key factor in the second half as Bridgewater made 25 trips to the line, while Fitchburg was just 6-for-11 (55%).

The Bears held a 21-8 advantage in points off turnovers for the game as well as a 23-8 edge in second chance points.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Saturday afternoon at one. The Bears travel to Salem State University, while the Falcons head to Worcester State University.