Men's Basketball Falls to Westfield State in Regular Season Finale, 70-66

By Jim Fenton

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team had its bid to clinch a share of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title denied Wednesday night.

Playing their final regular-season games, the Bears were stopped by Westfield State University, 70-66, and finish with a 9-3 conference record.

BSU is in second place behind Worcester State University (9-2) with Westfield State third (8-3).

While the Bears have a bye on Saturday, Worcester State can earn the championship outright with a win over the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Westfield State ends with a road game against Salem State University.

BSU could finish tied for first place if Worcester State loses, and there would be a three-way tie if Worcester State loses and Westfield State wins.

BSU, which had a seven-game winning streak snapped and is 13-11 overall, will host a MASCAC Tournament semifinal round game next Thursday.

The Bears held a 62-60 lead over the Owls with 3:18 to play, but they managed just a 3-pointer and a foul shot the rest of the way.

BSU missed four of its final five shots in the last 2:38, getting only a 3-pointer from Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) with 1:23 remaining.

Precious Okoh (Brockton, Mass.) led the Bears with 20 points, hitting four 3-pointers, to go with six rebounds and five assists.

Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) added 15 points, five rebounds and three assists while Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.) grabbed 16 rebounds to go with 11 points. Jennings was also in double figures with 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Emerson's double-double was his tenth of the season and 22nd of his career.

Westfield State (17-7) had three players in double figures, led by Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) with 15 points plus 16 rebounds. Juju Omot (Springfield, Mass.) had 14 points while Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) hit three 3-pointers and scored 10 points.

The Bears took their first game on a layup by Okoh with three seconds to go in the half, putting them up, 38-37, at the break.

The second half was close throughout with the Bears pulling in front, 46-41, with 16:37 to go as Kikuba scored six of his team's first eight points in the half.

After BSU went up, 52-47, on a layup by Okoh with 11:50 left, the Owls answered with six straight points for a 53-52 lead.

Westfield State went in front, 58-55, before Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.) hit two foul shots and Jennings scored on a layup to move BSU back on top, 59-58, with 3:50 remaining.

A layup by Dom Strother (Edinburg, Va.) regained the lead for the Owls, then Okoh and Teng hit 3-pointers, leaving the Owls up, 63-62, with 2:56 to go.

BSU then missed three shots in less than a minute, and Hamilton hit a free throw but missed the second. Kobe Parker (Chicopee, Mass.) grabbed an offensive rebound and converted with 1:42 left, giving Westfield State a 66-62 lead with 1:42 remaining.

Jennings made a 3-pointer with 1:23 to go to cut the deficit to 66-65, but Hamilton made a jumper for a 68-65 lead. Halbleib grabbed an offensive rebound following a missed 3-pointer, but the Bears turned the ball over with 10 seconds to go and Hamilton sealed it with two foul shots.

Okoh, Halbleib and Kikuba had 26 of BSU's 38 points in the first half. The Bears began the game missing 14 of 16 shots and were down, 18-11, near the midway point. Okoh scored eight points with a pair of 3-pointers in the final 3:20 to put BSU on top.

The Bears were outrebounded, 53-43, and the Owls grabbed 22 offensive rebounds. BSU made only 37 percent of its shots, going 8-for-26 on 3-pointers, while Westfield State hit 36 percent from the field.

The Bears had defeated the Owls in Bridgewater, 81-75, on Jan. 20.