BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State junior forward Nicholas Motta (Fairhaven, MA) posted a double-double with 29 points and ten rebounds, and junior guard Corey Connor (Providence, RI) scored 27 points on 8 of 10 shooting, to lead the Bears to a 95-92 victory over Rhode Island College this evening at the Tinsley Center.
Motta and Connor both set career highs in scoring as the 11th ranked Bears improved to 3-1 on the season. Motta connected on 10 of 19 field goal attempts and added three steals. Connor went 5-for-7 from three-point range with four of his three-pointers coming in the second half.
Sophomore guard Nathan Miller (New Bedford, MA) added ten points off the bench for the Bears. Miller was 4-for-5 from the floor and knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Junior guard Judah Jackson (Everett, MA) chipped in with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists, while senior center Chris Dijak (Lunenburg, MA) tallied seven points and five board with four coming off the offensive glass.
Five Anchormen scored in double figures in the high-scoring defeat. Junior guard Antone Gray (Providence, RI) paced the visitors with 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while junior forward Carl Lee (Warwick, RI) scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
Sophomore forward Mason Choice (Newport, RI) added 12 points and five rebounds, while junior frontcourt mate Darius Debnam (Dorchester, MA) chipped in with a 12-point, six-rebound effort. Senior guard Jake Grimes (Providence, RI) had 11 points and seven boards.
RIC built a 28-14 lead with seven minutes left in the opening stanza. Bridgewater went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by eight points by Miller, over the next 3 1/2 minutes to cut the deficit to 28-26. The Anchormen would ultimately take a 38-35 lead into the intermission.
In the second half, it was Bridgewater State who would build a double-digit lead as the Bears got up by as many as 13 points. Trailing 75-62, the Anchormen went on a 17-3 run to take a one point lead.
An unconventional three-point play by Connor put the Bears back on top, 81-79. Another free throw from Connor and a Motta layup increased the BSC lead to 84-79 with 3:22 to go. RIC, however, would battle back to tie the game at 85-85 on a Gray layup with 1:59 left to play. After a Dijak layup gave the Bears the lead, Gray answered with a three-pointer to put the Anchormen up by one, 88-87, with just 1:27 remaining on the second half clock.
Dijak would respond on the ensuing possession as he was fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound. Two free throws later, Bridgewater was back in front for good. A Dijak blocked shot and an Anthony Goss (Boston, MA) driving layup gave the Bears a three-point lead (91-88) with 23 second left to play.
After a Gray layup, Motta knocked down a pair of free throws to maintain the three-point cushion. Lee then missed two crucial free throws at the other end of the floor with ten seconds remaining. Connor iced the game as he converted two shots at the foul line with just eights seconds on the clock.
The Bears will travel to UMass Dartmouth next Wednesday, December 2nd, to take on the eighth ranked Corsairs. Rhode Island College (2-2) will host Roger Williams University on Saturday afternoon at 2 PM.