BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Sophomore guard Judah Jackson (Everett, MA) scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Bridgewater State College men's basketball team to a 64-46 win over MCLA in a Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contest this evening at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater.
The Bears have now won six straight games as they improve to 12-5 on the season and 5-1 in the MASCAC. MCLA falls to 1-17 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
Jackson connected on 8 of 13 field goal attempts and four of his team-leading nine rebounds came off the offensive glass.
The Bears put together a strong defensive effort forcing a season-high 37 turnovers with 20 of those coming off of steals. Bridgewater limited the Trailblazers to just 37% shooting and were also helped out by a poor 7-for-20 (35%) showing at the free throw line.
BSC used a 13-3 run over the final 9:19 of the first half to turn a three-point game (19-16) into a 32-19 lead at the intermission. MCLA would pull to within 11 points (37-26) with 16:22 remaining in the second stanza but that would be as close as the Trailblazers would get. Bridgewater built their lead to as much as 20 points (55-35) before settling for the 64-46 victory.
Sophomore center Jon Greenberg (Antwerp, Belgium) scored 15 points for MCLA and pulled down an impressive 21 rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Nine of Greenberg's 21 boards came off the offensive glass and he also added four steals, three assists and two blocked shots.
MCLA battled hard on the boards thanks in large part to Greenberg's outstanding performance. The Trailblazers out-rebounded the Bears by a margin of 45-33 including a 16-10 edge in offensive rebounds.
Sophomore guard Corey Connor (Providence, RI) and senior forward Stace Garrick (West Warwick, RI) also finished in double figures for Bridgewater. Connor scored 11 points to go with a team-best five assists, while Garrick added ten points, four rebounds and four steals
The MASCAC schedule resumes for Bridgewater on Saturday as the Bears travel to Westfield State College to take the Owls at 3 PM. Bridgewater and Westfield are currently locked in a three-way tie for first place along with Salem State College. MCLA hosts Worcester State College on Saturday at 7:30.