BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Junior forward Tyler DeMelo (East Freetown, Mass.) led five players in double-figure scoring with 18 points as the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team posted a 75-69 victory over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) foe Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The host Bears improve to 16-7 on the season and 9-2 in the MASCAC, while the Falcons slip to 14-9 overall and 6-4 in conference play. With the win, Bridgewater clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming MASCAC Tournament.

DeMelo connected on 4 of 5 three-point attempts and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line.  He also tallied five rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.

Senior forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) notched his sixth consecutive double-double and 12th of the season as he finished with 17 points and 11 boards.  Senior guard Barrett Murphy (Marshfield, Mass.) also scored 17 points to go along with seven boards, three assists, a block and a pair of steals, while senior forward Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.) added 12 points, four rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Justin Clark (Yarmouth Port, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, three boards, six assists and two steals as BSU's five starters accounted for all of the Bears' scoring.

Junior forward Givaughn Jones (Dorchester, Mass.) paced the visiting Falcons with 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, while junior forward Kwame Lee (Brockton, Mass.) added 14 points and four boards.

In the first half, the Bears used a 17-3 run highlighted by a pair of DeMelo three-pointers to turn an early 8-6 deficit into a 23-11 lead midway through the stanza.  The Falcons chipped away and used a quick 6-0 spurt capped off by a Jones' jumper to tie the game at 31-31 with 2:37 remaining.  A pair of Murphy trifectas sandwiched around a Muccioli jumper gave the Bears a 37-33 lead. Bridgewater would ultimately take a 37-36 edge into the locker room.

BSU opened up a ten-point advantage (55-44) in the second half thanks to a 14-3 run.  All five starters had a hand in the surge led by five points from Clark.  The Falcons answered with a 10-2 run over their own to make it a three-point game (57-54) with 7:31 remaining. Jones scored six points during the spurt.

Still holding onto a three-point lead (61-58) late in the period, DeMelo knocked down a pair of free throws with 2:52 showing on the scoreboard to increase the BSU advantage to 63-58. After a Fitchburg missed jumper, Clark drained a clutch three-pointer with the shot clock winding down to stake the Bears to a 66-58 lead with under two minutes remaining.  Junior guard Keyon Armstrong (Brockton, Mass.) answered with a driving lay-up to make it a 66-60 game with 1:40 left.

After getting a stop, the Falcons were unable to convert and DeMelo made a pair of free throws at the other end of the floor to increase the BSU advantage to 68-60 with under a minute remaining. The Bears would go 7-for-10 from the line in the final minute to secure the 75-69 victory.

The Bears shot 51% (26-51) from the floor and 39% (9-23) from three-point range, while the Falcons connected on 29 of 61 (48%) field goal attempts but went just 2-for-17 (12%) from behind the arc. Fitchburg held the advantage in points off turnovers (19-15), points in the paint (46-26), second chance points (12-8) and bench points (15-0).

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Tuesday night. The Bears entertain Salem State University in their regular season finale at 7:30, while the Falcons host Worcester State University also at 7:30.