BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College men's basketball team eclipsed the program record with their 12th straight win as the Bears downed Fitchburg State College, 75-47, in Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action this afternoon at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater.
Bridgewater State improves to 15-5 on the season and remain unbeaten in MASCAC play with a perfect 9-0 conference mark. The previous school record for longest winning streak was 11 games set during the 1982-83 season and equaled in 2008-2009. Fitchburg falls to 7-14 overall and 2-6 in the conference.
Junior forward Nicholas Motta (Fairhaven, MA) paced the Bears with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in 27 minutes. Motta did not miss a shot as he was 8-for-8 from the floor and knocked down his only free throw attempt.
Bridgewater also received 15 points from junior guard Corey Connor (Providence, RI) who connected on 6 of 9 field goal attempts including 3-for-6 from three-point range. Senior guard Matt McLaughlin (Rochester, MA) dished out a season-high ten assists and added six points and three boards.
Fitchburg State was led by senior center Timothy Graham (Arlington, MA) who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Colin London (Worcester, MA) added ten points and a pair of steals.
Bridgewater shot 54% from the floor (33-for-61), while holding the Falcons to 32% shooting including 1-for-15 from behind the arc. The Bears also scored 40 points in the paint and notched 31 points off turnovers.
Bridgewater put the game out of reach in the final eight minutes of the first half. The Bears had runs of 10-0 and 11-0 during that eight-minute stretch which turned a two-point advantage (18-16) into a 39-22 halftime lead. Fitchburg got a close as 14 points (43-29) with 16:07 remaining in the second half, but Bridgewater dominated play the rest of the way and led by as many as 29 points before settling for the 75-47 victory.