Men's Basketball Downs UMass Boston, 71-53

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team posted a 71-53 victory over non-conference foe UMass Boston on Thursday evening at the Tinsley Center.

The host Bears even their overall record at 6-6 as they have won four of their last five games.  UMass drops to 5-9 on the season with the loss.

Senior guard Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, Mass.) paced Bridgewater with a game-high 18 points.  Ryser connected on 8 of 13 field goals, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, and scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half.

Bridgewater held a 30-21 advantage at the intermission but saw that lead quickly evaporate as the visiting Beacons outscored the Bears 13-6 over the first 7 ½ minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to two (36-34).  Bridgewater, however, responded with a 17-2 run over the next four minutes to take a commanding 53-36 lead.  During the run, the Bears forced four UMass turnovers which led to eight points.  The Bears got up by as many as 21 the rest of the way before settling for the 18-point win.

Senior forward Anthony Fortes (Providence, Mass.) added 10 points for BSU, while freshman forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) came off the bench to notch 10 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.  Junior guard Brendan McDonald (Dorchester, Mass.) chipped in with nine points and three steals in just 11 minutes off the bench.

Bridgewater shot 55% (30-55) for the game including 6-for-7 from behind the arc.  The Bears also forced 23 Beacon turnovers and the BSU bench outscored the UMass reserves, 30-8.

The Beacons were led by senior Isaac Jenkins (Pordenone, Italy) who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.  Freshman forward Carl Joseph (Brockton, Mass.) added 12 points, four boards, two blocks and two steals for the visitors.  UMass did not shoot the ball well in the contest converting on 39% (22-56) of their field goal attempts including just 2-for-9 (22%) from three-point range.  The Beacons held a 35-28 rebounding advantage with a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass.

In upcoming action, Bridgewater hosts MASCAC foe Westfield State University on Saturday afternoon at one, while UMass travels to Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday for a three-o'clock Little East Conference matchup with the Warriors.