Men's Basketball Falls to Fitchburg State, 81-78

FITCHBURG, Mass.  -- The visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team dropped an 81-78 decision to Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) for Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at Parkinson Gymnasium.

The host Falcons improve to 11-10 on the season and 6-2 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 12-9 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

Senior guard Jaleel Bell led all player with 19 points. Bell also pulled down ten rebounds to record his fifth double-double of the year. Junior forward Josh Bosworth added 15 points and six rebounds for the Falcons.

Senior guard Patrick McGuinness paced Bridgewater State with a season-high 17 points on 7 of 8 shooting. McGuinness also added four assists and five boards.

Junior forward Joseph Carty notched his seventh double-double of the season, picking up 13 points and 13 rebounds in a full 40 minutes of work. Carty also recorded five assists and a pair of steals.

The tightly contested game featured 16 ties and 20 lead changes.

Fitchburg led 50-42 with 14:57 remaining in the contest, but the Bears battled back with a 13-0 run capped off by a Keyon Armstrong layup in transition to jump in front 55-50.

With 2:06 remaining, the two teams traded leads, first when senior forward Jalen Williams pulled down a rebound off the offensive glass, finishing under the hoop, giving the Falcons a 72-71 advantage.

After surrendering the lead twice, Fitchburg State retained it for good when Williams picked up another late bucket in the paint with 43 seconds left. Following a BSU missed three, sophomore guard Nicholas Tracy made 1 of 2 at the line to extend the Falcon advantage to 77-75 with just ten seconds showing on the scoreboard.

BSU junior guard Rocky DeAndrade drove to the hoops on the Bears' ensuing possession, but was unable to convert. Bell made two free throws at the other end of the floor with just seconds left to play. Off a long inbounds pass, Armstrong drained a three with time still showing on the scoreboard to cut the deficit to 79-78.

Bridgewater quickly fouled and Tracy buried both foul shots to make it 81-78 with under a second remaining. The Bears attempted another long inbounds pass, but it was intercepted by Bosworth to end the contest.

Senior guard Leonny Burgos contributed 13 points and five rebounds for the Falcons, while Williams added 12 points and five boards. Tracy swiped a game-high five steals.

DeAndrade added 12 points, and senior guard Fawaz Mass finished with 11 to round out the Bears' double-digit scorers.

Throughout the contest, the Falcons finished 29-for-60 (48.3%) from the field and 21-for-24 (87.5%) from the charity stripe. The Bears ended the game 27-for-61 shooting and 16-for-20 (80%) from the free throw stripe.

Fitchburg State held an advantage on rebounds (37-31) while Bridgewater State forced more turnovers (14-12).

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Wednesday evening at 5:30. The Bears host Salem State University, while the Falcons entertain Worcester State University.