BOSTON, Mass. -- Freshman guard Alex Sanchez (Salem, Mass.) poured in a career-high 24 points, 18 of which came in the second half, to lift the UMass Boston men's basketball team to an 80-73 win over longtime rival Bridgewater State University on Thursday evening at the Clark Athletic Center.
The host Beacons improve to 8-4, while the visiting Bears fall to 7-6 with their third straight setback. UMass now leads the all-time series, 18-16.
Sanchez's big night was the result of an 8-for-10 showing from the field, 3-for-3 from three-point range, and 5-for-5 at the charity stripe.
Senior forward Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.) posted a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench. Senior center Sam Freeman (Boston, Mass.) added 17 points and six boards for the Beacons, while junior guard Iser Barnes (Boston, Mass.) checked in with 16 points.
Senior guard Fawaz Mass (Taunton, Mass.) tallied a team-high 21 points for the Bears to go along with four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Junior guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) added 16 points, three rebounds and three assists for the visitors, while senior guard Keyon Armstrong (Brockton, Mass.) contributed 15 points and three steals. Senior forward Michael Soares (Milford, Mass.) collected a team-high six rebounds.
The Beacons who trailed for much of the contest, rallied late in the second half to take control of the game. Even at 62-62, Freeman dropped in a lay-up and Sanchez followed with a deep three-pointer to make it 67-62 with 4:44 to play.
Later in the period, Sanchez extended the advantage to 73-65 with a pair of three-point plays.
A DeAndrade lay-up and two Armstrong free throws pulled the Bears to within four (73-69) with 2:51 remaining. Powers, however, answered with a three-pointer and Sanchez converted a lay-up to extend the UMass lead to nine, 78-69, with 98 seconds left to play.
Mass drained a three-pointer and was fouled on Bridgewater's ensuing possession. He sank the free throw to complete the four-point play and make it a five-point game (78-73) with 1:09 showing on the scoreboard.
Mass then forced a turnover, but the Bears were unable to capitalize on the opportunity as a three-pointer was off the mark. Sanchez knocked down two free throws with 14 seconds remaining to seal the victory and cap off the scoring.
On the night, UMass Boston shot 54% (30-56) from the field, and 47% (7-15) from behind the arc. The Beacons also went 13-for-14 (93%) at the free throw line.
Bridgewater State shot 43% (25-58) from the floor and 50% (13-26) from three-point range.
UMass Boston held a 37-23 rebounding advantage which led to a 17-5 edge in second chance points. The Beacons also outscored the Bears 42-20 in the paint.
The UMB bench accounted for 35 of the team's 80 points.
UMass Boston will host Rhode Island College on Saturday at 3 p.m. in a Little East Conference contest. Bridgewater State opens Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Framingham State University. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.