BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) scored 21 points to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to an 80-75 win over visiting Worcester State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup on Wednesday night at the Tinsley Center.
The Bears improve to 16-8 on the season and 9-2 in the MASCAC, while the Lancers fall to 3-21 overall and 2-9 in conference play. Bridgewater is 12-2 since starting the season with just four wins over the first ten games.
DeAndrade connected on 8 of 16 field goals including 4-for-9 from behind the arc. He also grabbed five rebounds. Sophomore guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) added 19 points for the Bears on 7 of 12 shooting to go along with six boards and four assists. Sophomore forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) checked in with 21 points and five board, while sophomore forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Sophomore forward Shaun McCarthy (Oxford, Mass.) led all players with a career-high 34 points on 13 of 23 shooting. McCarthy, who also went 8-for-10 at the line, added eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Will Watkins Jr. (Southbridge, Mass.) checked in with 15 points and nine boards, while sophomore guard Cal Howes (Maynard, Mass.) added 12 points.
In a first half which featured five ties and seven lead changes, the Bears outscored the Lancers 14-5 over the final five minutes of the first half to turn a one-point deficit (29-28) into an eight-point advantage (42-34).
Carney scored 16 points in the opening stanza to lead all players, but also picked up his third foul with just four seconds remaining until the break. DeAndrade added 12 points in the opening period with seven of those coming during the 14-5 run. Bridgewater shot 52% (17-33) in the half including 6-for-13 (46%) from three-point range.
McCarthy paced the visitors with 14 points in the first half while Watkins Jr. added ten. Worcester shot just 30% (12-40) over the first 20 minutes, but grabbed ten offensive rebounds which led to 14 second chance points.
A 9-2 Worcester run to open the second half made it a one-point game (44-43) with 17 minutes remaining. Howes scored five points during the spurt including a three-pointer.
Bridgewater maintained a slight lead until the clock ticked under ten minutes. Watkins Jr. dropped in a layup to knot the score at 62-62. Following a stop, McCarthy drove to the hoop to give the Lancers a 64-62 lead with 8:50 remaining. The rest of the half featured six ties and five lead changes.
The final tie occurred when Ward drained a clutch three-pointer to knot the score at 75-75 with 1:46 left to play. Following a Darnell Richardson (Medford, Mass.) steal, DeAndrade drove strong to the hoop for an and-one layup to give the Bears a 78-75 lead with just 38 seconds remaining. St. Louis forced another Lancer turnover and then buried a pair of free throws with 17 seconds showing on the scoreboard to put the finishing touches on the 80-75 victory.
Bridgewater shot 43% (28-65) for the game and went just 13-for-23 (57%) at the free throw line. The Bears did, however, convert 11 of 22 (50%) from three-point range. The BSU defense forced 16 turnovers and turned those Worcester miscues into 28 points.
McCarthy shot 57% (13-23) for the game, but the rest of the WSU squad made just 14 of their 48 field goal attempts (29%). The Lancers went 7-for-23 (30%) from behind the arc, while McCarthy and Howes combined to go 14-for-19 (74%) at the charity stripe.
Worcester finished with 16 offensive rebounds and a 25-7 edge in second chance points.
Both teams wrap up regular season play on Saturday afternoon at three. The Bears travel to Fitchburg State University, while the Lancers entertain Westfield State University.
Notes: Bridgewater is 30-4 versus Worcester since 2003-2004 and 65-39 all-time.