Men's Basketball Holds Off Framingham State, 62-57

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team held off Framingham State University, 62-57, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup on Friday evening at the Athletic Center.

The Bears improve to 4-12 on the season and 2-3 in the MASCAC, while the Rams fall to 2-15 overall and 0-5 in conference play.  Bridgewater swept the season series as the Bears now hold a 77-38 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1971.

Graduate forward Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.) paced Bridgewater State with 15 points, two assists and two steals, while sophomore guard Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.) filled the stat sheet with ten points, eight rebounds, two assists, four steals and a pair of blocked shots. Senior guard David Laine (Bourne, Mass.) checked in with ten points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal.

Senior forward Keith Hollman (Cambridge, Mass.) led the way for Framingham State with game high totals of 17 points and nine rebounds to go along with four assists and a steal. Freshman guard Ivan Nyantenji (Nashua, N.H.), sophomore guard Jahden Erold (Boston, Mass.) and junior guard Javaris Hill (Lynn, Mass.) added ten points apiece for the Rams with Hill also contributing six rebounds and four steals in minutes off the bench.

The Bears led 35-30 at the break and outscored the Rams 17-9 over the first nine minutes of the second half to open up a 13-point lead (52-39). Wetterlind tallied nine of his 15 points during that nine-minute stretch.

Bridgewater, however, managed just two points (a Parsons' layup) over the next 7 ½ minutes as the Rams clawed their way back into the game with a 13-2 run. A layup by Erold capped off the run and pulled the hosts to within one at 54-52 as the clock ticked under four minutes. Framingham had a chance to take the lead on its next possession, but a three-pointer was off the mark. The Bears then ended their scoring drought as junior forward Stanley Pierre-Louis (Roxbury, Mass.) tipped home a Wetterlind miss to make it a 56-53 game with 3:25 left to play.

After Hill dropped in a layup cut the deficit to one (56-54), Framingham had multiple opportunities to take the lead but turned the ball over on each of its next four possessions. The Bears went 6-for-8 at the free throw line over the final two minutes to secure the 62-57 victory.

Both teams were held to under 40% shooting on the evening. The Bears connected on 37% (22-59) of their field goals attempts but did manage to go 7-for-16 (44%) from behind the arc. The visitors also went 11-for-17 (65%) at the free throw line. The Rams shot 39% (23-59) from the floor and 30% (8-27) from three-point range. The hosts made just five trips to the charity stripe (3-for-5).

Bridgewater forced 23 turnovers in the contest which led to a 19-8 advantage in points off turnovers. The two teams combined for 46 turnovers.

Framingham held a 45-33 rebounding advantage with a 16-10 edge on the offensive line which translated to a 14-6 edge in second chance points.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams next week. The Bears host Salem State University on Wednesday night at 7:30, while the Rams travel to Fitchburg State University on Monday evening for a seven o'clock game with the Falcons.