FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- The visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team posted a 57-50 victory over Framingham State University in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Wednesday night at the Athletic Center.
The Bears improve to 8-11 (4-3 MASCAC) with their third win over the Rams this season. The loss drops Framingham to 4-16 overall and 1-7 in conference play.
Junior Greg Romanko (Mansfield, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with 15 points. Romanko connected on 5 of 7 three-point field goals as all 15 of his points came from behind the arc.
Trailing 23-19 at the break, the Bears opened the second half with back-to-back trifectas from Romanko to take a 25-23 advantage. After trading buckets, the Rams reclaimed the lead (30-29) on a three-point play from junior Patrick Gould (Quincy, Mass.) with 14:54 remaining.
The Bears, however, responded with a 14-3 run over the next seven minutes to take the lead for good. Freshman Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) fueled the spurt with five points including a long three.
Bridgewater extended the lead to as many as 13 points, including a 51-38 advantage with 5:35 remaining following a three-point play by junior Patrick McGuinness (New City, N.Y.).
The Rams, however, clawed their way back pulling to within five on a Tim Mangano (Winchester, Mass.) free throw with 59 seconds remaining. The FSU defense forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play, but the Rams were unable to capitalize as a three-pointer was off the mark. BSU sophomore Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) sank two free throws with 38 seconds showing on the scoreboard to seal the win for the Bears.
Senior Jacek Louisville (Worcester, Mass.) led all scorers with a game-high 16 points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. Louisville added five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Senior Tim McCarthy (Wilmington, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, while sophomore Tony Alexandre (Hyde Park, Mass.) added ten points and seven boards.
Romanko was the only Bear to score in double-figures. Carney finished with nine points and four rebounds, while sophomore Joseph Carty (Natick, Mass.) chipped in eight points and eight boards. Junior Fawaz Mass (Taunton, Mass.) added eight points and five rebounds.
Bridgewater held a 39-30 rebounding advantage including a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass. The Bears held the edge in points off turnovers (15-9) and second chance points (18-6). The BSU bench outscored the Framingham reserves by a margin of 16-0.
Both teams resume MASCAC action on Saturday afternoon with the Rams traveling to Westfield State for a 3 p.m. showdown with the Owls and the Bears hosting Fitchburg State also at 3 p.m.