BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Freshman center Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) scored 19 first half points to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a convincing 81-50 MASCAC victory over visiting Worcester State University on Saturday evening.

The host Bears improve to 13-9 on the season and 8-2 in the MASCAC.  Bridgewater is tied with Salem State for the top spot in the conference standings.  The Lancers fall to 8-16 overall and 5-6 in MASCAC play.

Lofton connected on 9 of 11 field goal attempts off the bench and notched eight rebounds, two assists and three steals in just 21 minutes.  Senior forward Anthony Fortes (Providence, R.I.) added 18 points, four boards, two assists and four steals, while junior guard Brendan McDonald (Dorchester, Mass.) knocked down three three-pointers on his way to scoring 14 points off the bench.

Junior guard Shawn Yard (Brockton, Mass.) had a terrific all-around games for the Bears as he registered 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, four steals and zero turnovers.

Bridgewater used a 19-0 first half run to take complete control of the game.  The Bears led 9-6 with 14:32 remaining in the opening stanza and then proceeded to score 19 straight points over the next 5:47.  BSU held a 48-24 halftime advantage and got up by as many as 33 points (78-45) in the second half.

Bridgewater shot 46% (32-70) from the floor and held a 47-32 rebounding advantage including a 20-11 edge on the offensive glass. The BSU bench outscored the Worcester reserves by a margin of 42-18, and 42 of the Bears' 81 points came in the paint.  The Lancers were limited to 33% (17-52) shooting for the game.

Sophomore forward Robert Hunter (St. Louis, Mo.) paced the Lancers with double-double totals of 19 points and ten rebounds.  Classmate Mike Gittens (Uncasville, Conn.) added 16 points off the bench.

The Bears travel to Salem next Tuesday (7:30 PM) for a key conference contest with the Vikings.  The winner will take sole possession of first place in the MASCAC standings heading into next Saturday's season finale.  Worcester is off until Saturday when they host the Vikings at 6:00 PM.