Men's Basketball Outlasts Framingham State in Overtime, 87-82

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team outlasted Framingham State University in overtime, 87-82, on Wednesday night in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup at the FSU Athletic & Recreation Center.

The Bears improve to 10-13 on the season and 7-4 in the MASCAC, while the Rams fall to 2-22 overall and 1-10 in conference play. Bridgewater now holds a 75-38 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1971.

Bridgewater State senior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) came within an assist of a triple double as he poured in a game-high 30 points, pulled down 11 rebounds (three offensive) and dished out nine assists. Carney, who recorded his third double-double of the season, equaled his career-best in both rebounds and assists.

Sophomore guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) added a career-high 19 points for the Bears, while senior forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) tallied 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. For St. Louis, the double-double marked his team-leading 13^th of the season. Senior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) checked in with 13 points, eight boards, two steals and two blocks.

The Rams were paced offensively by senior forward Tyri Hampton (Fitchburg, Mass.) who tallied a double-double with a team-high 23 points and 11 rebounds. Hampton connected on 2-of-4 from behind the arc including a clutch game-tying trifecta at the end of regulation.

Junior forward Cameren McCloud-Thomas (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in with 20 points, six rebounds and five blocks for the Rams. Freshman guard John Kalton (Somerville, Mass.) added 14 points and three assists, while sophomore guard Jared Gordon-Anderson (Framingham, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with ten points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Bears led 35-27 at the break as they held Framingham to just 33% (10-33) shooting in the opening stanza. Carney led all players with 15 points over the first 20 minutes, while McCloud-Thomas and Hampton tallied seven points apiece for the Rams. Bridgewater connected on 45% (14-31) of hits first-half field goal attempts and went 5-for-6 at the free throw line.

The second half was back-and-forth the entire way with ten ties and four lead changes and neither team leading by more than eight in the frame.  With the game tied, Bears used an 8-0 run to take a 67-59 lead with 5:36 on the clock, but the Rams countered with their own 8-0 spurt capped by four points from Hampton to re-tie the game at 67-67 with 3:30 on the clock.

The game remained tied until St. Louis sank one of two free throws with 1:43 remaining to put the Bears up 68-67. The Rams could not connect on their next two possessions and were forced to foul with 18.8 on the clock.  St. Louis sank both putting the Bears up three. Sophomore guard Tajahn Joyner (Amherst, Mass.) drove the lane and sank a quick two for the Rams cutting the gap back to one, 70-69, with 9.2 on the clock. The Rams went for the steal, did not get it and were forced to foul again. Carney sank both with 4.8 on the clock setting the stage for Hampton's clutch shot. Hampton inbounded to Joyner on the sideline and Joyner fed it right back to Hampton in the middle who took one dribble and lofted it from the back court tying the game at 72-72 with .2 left.

In overtime, the Bears opened the frame with an 11-1 run highlighted by a pair of three-pointers by St. Louis and one from Carney. Ward started the spurt with a dunk. The Rams chipped away at the deficit and pulled to within two (84-82) following a Hampton trifecta with just over a minute left to play. Framingham had a chance to tie the game after forcing a turnover, but Ward came up with a clutch steal and knocked down a pair of free throws with just seconds remaining to seal the victory.

For the game, the Bears shot 44% (28-63) from the floor, 40% (8-20) from behind the arc and 72% (23-32) at the free throw line. The Rams connected on 42% (31-73) of their field goal attempts and finished 7-for-21 (33%) from three-point range and 13-for-18 (72%) at the charity stripe.

Both teams wrap up regular season play on Saturday afternoon. The Bears entertain MASCAC rival Worcester State University at three, while the Rams travel to Fitchburg State University for a one o'clock conference tilt with the Falcons.

Notes: BSU Head Coach Joe Farroba recorded career victory #398….Carney (1,499 pts.) moved into seventh place on the Bears' all-time scoring list.