Okoh, Kikuba Lead Men's Basketball to 81-75 Win Over Westfield

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team reached the midway point of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule with an impressive victory.

The Bears moved into sole possession of second place with an 81-75 win over Westfield State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

BSU grabbed the lead for good with 7:29 left in the first half, was in front by as many as 15 points in the second half and held off a late charge by the Owls.

The Bears (8-10) are now 4-2 in the MASCAC, trailing only defending champion Worcester State University (5-0). Westfield State (12-6) is in a three-way tie for third place with Salem State University and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts at 3-2.

"Obviously, this was a huge win," said BSU coach Matt McLaughlin, whose team is idle until next Saturday. "They're a really good team.

"It's huge, and now we're riding into a bye, so we needed that. Recharge, regroup, get healthy and get right back into it Saturday."

Precious Okoh (Brockton, Mass.) was the game's leading scorer with 24 points to go along with 11 rebounds, seven assists, two assists and two blocks while playing all 40 minutes.

Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) added 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and had five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.) had 12 points and nine rebounds while Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points and Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.) grabbed 11 rebounds (six offensive) and blocked three shots.

Westfield State had just one player in double figures with Angel Price-Espada (Cambridge, Mass.) scoring 20 points in 19 minutes off the bench, hitting four 3-pointers. Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) had game-high totals of 16 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

The Owls, who eliminated BSU from the MASCAC tournament in the semifinal round last season, opened the game with an 8-2 run, but Okoh (15) and Kikuba (10) combined for 25 first-half points to turn things in the Bears' favor.

BSU was in front, 46-32, at the break after ending the first half on a 19-6 run in six minutes. Jennings had eight points, Taylor six and Okoh five to provide the offense.

"I thought that was huge," said McLaughlin. "That was a make or break. I thought the way we rode into halftime set us on a positive trajectory to continue on.

"It set the tone and gave us a little breathing room and a gap to work with."

The Bears had a 51-36 lead with 16:15 to go on a Taylor layup and they were in front, 60-45, midway through the second half after a layup by Okoh.

A Kikuba 3-pointer had BSU up, 69-55, with 7:36 to go, but a 7-2 spurt by the Owls cut the lead under double digits at 71-62 with 4:32 remaining on a layup by Kobe Parker (Chicopee, Mass.).

Kikuba converted a layup with 1:22 left for an 80-70 BSU lead, but Jerome Stephens (Boston, Mass.) made two foul shots and Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) hit a 3-pointer, reducing the margin to 80-75 with 23 seconds left. That was as close as the Owls would get as Kikuba finished it off with a late foul shot.

BSU limited Westfield State to 39 percent shooting, including 9-for-31 from 3-point range.

"I think Westfield is unique because they provide a different matchup and personnel challenge," said McLaughlin. "They're long and they can all shoot and all attack."

Okoh, playing in his eighth game this season, and Kikuba are a solid combination in the backcourt for the Bears.

"They're both special, there's no question about it," said McLaughlin. "Dante's always been the motor. They complement each other. Sometimes it's Dante and sometimes it's Precious.

"They're so tough and the guys around them are so strong, so solid and know what they need to do and they get it done."

BSU had lost eight of its last nine games against Westfield State.

After having a bye on Wednesday, the Bears start the second half of the MASCAC season by hosting Salem State on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Bears defeated the Vikings on Jan. 3, 96-82.

Westfield State will host Salem State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.