BOSTON, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College men's basketball team scored 22 points off 15 turnovers in the second half to fuel a 68-57 comeback victory over host University of Massachusetts Boston tonight at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston. The Beacons fall to 2-12 on the season, while the Bears improve to 8-6.
Sophomore forward Nicholas Motta (Fairhaven, MA) led the Bears with 14 points on 7-12 from the floor to go with eight rebounds and a steal, while classmate Judah Jackson (Everett, MA) scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists and made a steal. Junior guard Matt McLaughlin (Rochester, MA) dropped in 11 points on 3-4 from the field, handed out five helpers, came up with two steals and pulled down a rebound and sophomore guard Corey Connor (Providence, RI) finished with 10 points and a steal.
Bridgewater owned a 22-0 advantage in points off turnovers in the second half and committed just five miscues of its own during the stanza.
Sophomore forward Pat Joseph (Queens, NY) made a lay-up 21 seconds into the second half to give UMass Boston its largest lead of the night at 39-29 and later maintained a 44-35 lead with 16:32 showing in the second half. The Bears outscored their hosts, 30-4 over the next 11 minutes and change to take a commanding 65-48 advantage with 4:45 remaining in the game, fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Connor. The Beacons closed out the contest with a 9-3 burst, led by seven points from junior forward Ernst Jean (Malden, MA), to set the final at 68-57.
Bridgewater State owned an early 5-2 lead with 17:42 showing on the first half clock, before UMass Boston went on a 17-9 stretch, paced by six points from sophomore center Julius Byrd (Lynn, MA), to take a 19-14 lead with 9:01 to play in the opening stanza. Senior guard Deryk Largesse (Sutton, MA) canned a three-pointer to pull the Bears to within 19-17 with 8:47 to go in the first half, but the Beacons put together a 13-4 run capped by a trifecta from freshman guard Chris Milton (Milton, MA) to take their largest lead of the contest at 32-21 with 4:03 left in the session. Bridgewater State responded with an 8-2 push to slice the deficit to 34-29 with 90 seconds to go in the first half, before UMass Boston took a 37-29 lead into the break. The Beacons shot a blistering 58.3% (14-24) in the first period.
Milton finished with 14 points on 5-10 from the floor, including 4-8 from three-point range and added five rebounds, a steal and an assist for the Beacons, while Jean contributed with 12 points and six rebounds. Joseph registered his fourth double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds along with two steals and a blocked shot.
UMass Boston will be in action again on Saturday, January 17 when it hosts Little East Conference rival Keene State College at 3:00 p.m. at the Clark Athletic Center, while Bridgewater State plays host to MASCAC foe Fitchburg State College on January 17 at 3:00 p.m.