FITCHBURG, Mass. - Junior forward Brian Torres (North Dighton, MA/Dighton-Rehoboth) recorded his 1,000-th career point on his way to a game-high 18 as Fitchburg State upended visiting Bridgewater State, 67-54, Saturday afternoon in MASCAC men's basketball action at Fitchburg's Recreation Center.
The Falcons also got 16 points and two steals from junior guard Brian Skiffington (North Adams, MA/Hoosac Valley) while Torres also had seven rebounds and two assists to help FSC improve to 13-4 overall and 5-1 in the MASCAC. Freshman guard Judah Jackson (Everett, MA/Cushing Academy) led the Bears with 13 points and six rebounds but it was not enough to keep BSC from falling to 9-9 overall and 3-3 in the MASCAC.
Fitchburg clung to a tenuous 30-26 halftime advantage, but Torres found his rhythm in the final 20 minutes, scoring 13 points while Skiffington added 11 points in the half as the Falcons outscored Bridgewater 37-28 in the second. FSC also connected on 5-of-10 (10-for-22 in the game) from beyond the arc while limiting the Bears to just 2-of-6 (4-for-12 in the game) from long range. Fitchburg also shot 40 percent from the field to BSC's 36.4 percent and held a significant turnover advantage (19 Bridgewater turnovers; 9 Fitchburg turnovers) despite getting out-rebounded, 40-36.
The Bears got strong play from starters Tom Cuddihy (Scituate, MA/Scituate) and Roland Millien (Stoughton, MA/Bridgeton Academy), who put home 11 and 10 points, respectively. Millien also pulled down four rebounds, dished out two helpers and added a pair of steals.
For FSC, Peter Uzoma (Boston, MAConcord-Carlisle) had a great all-around game, scoring eight points, grabbling 11 boards and dishing out five assists to go along with three steals. Center Tim Graham (Arlington, MA/Arlington Catholic) added four points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks while Matt Collins (Southington, CT/Southington) chipped in five points, two assists and three rebounds.
Bridgewater got the Falcons' second-half lead down to as little as two points at 43-41 with 10:45 remaining after Jackson hit a jumper. However, Skiffington responded with a three sparking a 17-6 run that spanned the following 6:24 of action culminating in a Torres dunk that put the junior two points away from 1,000 career points. He becomes the 22nd player in FSC history to eclipse the elusive 1,000-point barrier.
Both teams are back in MASCAC action Tuesday night as FSC visits Worcester (8:00 pm) and Bridgewater hosts Westfield (7:30 pm).