Men's Basketball Drops 75-72 MASCAC Decision to Worcester State

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Sophomore forward Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, Mass.) posted a double-double with a game-high 30 points as well as 11 rebounds as the visiting Worcester State University men's basketball team held off Bridgewater State University, 75-72, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The Lancers improve 16-5 on the season and a perfect 8-0 in the MASCAC with their eighth straight win, while the Bears fall to 16-6 overall and 6-3 in conference play. Worcester has won each of the last seven meetings of the two teams including a 72-67 victory earlier this season in Worcester. Bridgewater holds a 71-44 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1954.

Nkrumah connected on 13 of 26 field goal attempts and four of his 11 boards came off the offensive glass. He also added three steals and a blocked shot.

Graduate guard Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, N.C.) checked in with 20 points, three rebounds and three assists for the Lancers who also received nine points, and game highs of 12 rebounds (six offensive) and five assists from graduate center Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass.). Bjorn hit the 1,000-point milestone with a free throw at the 14:25 mark of the first half.

Graduate center Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.) led the way for Bridgewater State with 25 points on 10 of 12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds (six offensive), three steals and a game-high five blocked shots. Halbleib eclipsed the Bears' single-season record for blocked shot as he now has 58 on the year. The previous mark of 56 blocks was set by Peter Donovan in 1999-2000.

Junior guard Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.) contributed 14 points and three rebounds for the Bears.

The Lancers used a 13-0 run midway through the first half to turn a two-point game into a 28-13 Worcester lead. Nkrumah scored nine points during the spurt. The Lancers maintained the double-digit advantage throughout the remainder of the opening stanza and took a 38-22 lead into the break.

Nkrumah finished with 13 points in the first half, while Halbleib notched 14 points for the Bears.

The Lancers shot 53.1%( 17-32) from the floor over the first 20 minutes and held the Bears to 27.3% (9-33) shooting. Bridgewater also went 0-for-12 from behind the arc and 4-for-10 at the free throw line in the first half.

The Bears came out strong to start the second half, outscoring the Lancers 23-8 over the first 7 ½ minutes. Bridgewater capped off the run with a Halbleib three-pointer and a pair of Parsons' free throws to make it a one-point game (46-45). Worcester struck back with back-to-back three-pointers by Nkrumah and Hendrix to push the lead back up to seven (52-45) with 11:19 left to play. The Lancer lead fluctuate between eight and four points until the clocked ticked under three minutes. A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Quinton Champagne (Wrentham, Mass.) cut the BSU deficit to three (73-70) and, after a stop, the Bears had a chance to tie the game, but a three-pointer was off the mark. A layup by Nkrumah was answered by Keyth Key (So., Springfield, Mass.) layup to keep it a one-possession game with 1:16 remaining. The next three possessions resulted in turnovers including a Worcester shot clock violation with just 10.3 seconds showing on the scoreboard. Bridgewater had a chance to tie the game, but an off-balance, contested three-pointer in the waning seconds was off the mark.

The two teams combined for 48 turnovers with Worcester committing 29 miscues. Remarkably, the Lancers held a 19-16 edge in points off turnovers. The visitors also finished with the advantage in points in the paint (34-30) and second chance points (18-7). The Lancers outrebounded the Bears, 48-33, with a slight 17-15 differential on the offensive glass.

The Lancers shot 47.7% (31-65) for the game, 35% (7-20) from three-point range and 66.7% (6-9) at the free throw line. The Bears connected on 35.9% (23-64) of their field goals attempts, including 7-for-29 (24.1%) from behind the arc, and went 19-for-27 (70.4%) at the charity stripe.

The Bears are off until next Saturday when they travel to Westfield State University for a noontime MASCAC game with the Owls. The Lancers travel to Westfield State on Wednesday evening to take on the Owls at 5:30.