DAYTONA, Fla. – The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team erased a 15-point second half deficit as the Bears downed the Camels of Connecticut College, 59-53, at the Land of Magic Classic hosted by Embry-Riddle University on Wednesday evening.
The Bears put an end to a four-game losing streak with the win as they improved to 3-5 on the season. Conn. College slips to 3-6 overall with the loss.
Bridgewater trailed 32-21 at the intermission after struggling through the first 20 minutes of the contest. Conn. College upped their lead to 36-21 in the opening two minutes of the second half before the Bears responded with an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to two (36-24). BSU senior guard Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, Mass.) tallied the last seven points of the run on a three-pointer and pair of jumpers.
Conn. College would maintain a small lead until the 5:47 mark when senior center Samuel Johnson (Chelmsford, Mass.) dropped in a layup to give Bridgewater a 45-44 advantage. BSU would knock down 10 of 12 free throws over the final 4:09 to help secure the win.
Johnson paced the Bears with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals. Ten of Johnson's 16 points came from the free throw line as he was 10-for-13 at the charity stripe. Ryser added 12 points, while senior forward Anthony Fortes (Providence, R.I.) notched 11 points and six boards. Junior guard Shawn Yard (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in with ten points, four rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore guard Matt Vadas (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) led all players with 26 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals. Sophomore forward Mason Lopez (Edgewater, N.J.) was a rebound shy of a double-double as he finished with ten points and nine boards.
Bridgewater shot 41% (21-51) from the floor and connected on 15 of 20 (75%) free throw attempts. The Bears limited the Camels to 38% shooting (19-50) and forced 18 turnovers thanks in part to 12 steals.
Bridgewater will face host Embry-Riddle tomorrow afternoon at 6:00 PM, while Conn. College takes on Mount Aloysius at 4:00 PM.