Ward Notches 1,000th Career Point in 95-86 Loss to SUNY Canton

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- Senior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) scored a game-high 36 points including the 1,00th of his career as the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team dropped a 95-86 decision to SUNY Canton on Saturday afternoon at the Middlebury Tip-Off Classic.

Ward became the 30th student-athlete in BSU men's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point barrier. He hit the milestone with a free throw with 17:45 remaining in the second half. 

Ward connected on 13 of 20 field goals and went 8-for-10 at the free throw line. He also pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds (three offensive) to finish with a double-double. Ward's 36 points matched his career-high set last season on February 6th against Salem State University.

Sophomore guard Admar Jaramillo (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 points, three rebounds and six assists for the Bears, while senior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) checked in with ten points, three boards and four assists.

Junior guard Danny Santana (Clifton, N.J.) paced SUNY Canton with 30 points on 9 of 15 shooting, while sophomore guard Quran DuBois (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) filled the stat sheet with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists, five steals and a blocked shot.

The Roos shot 56% (36-64) for the game, including 8-for-19 (42%) from three-point range, and went 15-for-18 (83%) at the charity stripe. The Bears shot 48.5% (33-68) from the floor, 24% (6-25) from behind the arc and 66.7% (14-21) at the line.

SUNY Canton turned the ball over 21 times, while Bridgewater State committed 15 turnovers. The Roos received 26 points from their bench, while the BSU reserves scored just nine. The SUNY Canton also finished with a 40-28 rebounding advantage.

The Bears led 25-19 following a layup by sophomore forward Jose Monteiro Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) with 9:51 remaining in the first half. A 10-0 SUNY Canton run capped off by a Santana trifecta turned the tables and gave the Roos a 29-25 lead. The Bears tied it at 29-29 on a Monteiro Jr. dunk with 7:02 showing on the first half scoreboard, and took a 31-29 lead when sophomore guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) dropped in a layup just moments later. Bridgewater, however, would never lead again in the game. The Roos outscored the Bears 18-13 over the final 6:44 of the first half to take a 47-44 advantage into the break.

Bridgewater would close to within one or two points on nine separate occasions of the second half, including a 76-74 deficit with 5:38 left to play, but could not overtake the Roos. A 10-3 run over the next four minutes sealed the win for SUNY Canton.

The Bears (0-2) host UMass Boston on Wednesday night at seven, while the Roos (2-2) entertain Middlebury College on Thursday evening at six.