BROOKLINE, Mass. -- Senior guard Omar Williams' (Queens, N.Y.) three-pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation lifted the Newbury College men's basketball team to a dramatic 89-86 victory over visiting Bridgewater State University on Monday night at Pappas Gymnasium.
The Nighthawks (8-13) held off a valiant second-half comeback attempt by the visiting Bears (7-15).
Senior forward Pierce Weatherspoon (Hartford, Conn.) paced Newbury with 28 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots, while Williams and senior guard Tank Roberson (Pittsfield, Mass.) notched 18 points apiece. Williams also finished with five rebounds and Roberson dished out a game-best seven assists.
Junior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) scored a career-high 35 points in the setback to lead the way for Bridgewater State. Carney connected on 13 of 18 field goal attempts, including 5-for-7 from behind the arc. He was also 4-for-5 at the free throw line and added five rebounds and six assists. Carney now has 950 points in his career.
Junior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) checked in with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Bears. Ward was 7-for-11 from the floor, knocked down both of his three-point attempts and went 5-for-7 at the charity stripe. Sophomore forward Nick Crocker (Falmouth, Mass.) rounded out Bridgewater's double-digit scorers with 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting. Crocker also pulled down seven boards.
The Bears trailed by as many as 15 points on three separate occasions in the second half and faced a seven-point deficit, 86-79, with 2:10 left to play. Ward drilled a trifecta to pull the Bears to within four and, after a stop, Crocker dropped in a layup to make it a two-point game (86-84) with 1:10 remaining. The BSU defense then came up with another key stop and Carney drove to the hoop for a layup to knot the score at 86-86 with just 24 seconds showing on the scoreboard.
The Nighthawks final possession was almost non-existent as the Bears nearly caused a turnover on defense, but the Nighthawks managed to recover and call timeout with 3.6 seconds remaining. Out of the timeout, Weatherspoon inbounded to a running Williams in the right corner. Williams shot came over two BSU defenders and found the net with 0.6 seconds remaining.
The Bears did have one final attempt from about 70 feet, coming from senior guard Bo Garcia (Highland, N.Y.). As the buzzer sounded, Garcia's attempt hit the backboard, followed by the left side of the rim and fell to the court. The attempt would have counted and forced overtime.
The Nighthawks connected on 50% (38-76) of their field goal attempts and finished 10-for-23 (43.5%) from behind the arc. The Bears shot 55% (33-60) for the game, including an impressive 11-for-21 (52%) from three-point range. Bridgewater also went 9-for-12 (75%) at the free throw line.
Rebounds were even at 34 apiece, but Newbury held a 10-4 edge on the offensive glass which led to a 20-7 advantage in second chance points. The Nighthawks also forced 18 turnovers and transitioned the BSU miscues into 23 points.
The Bears are back in action on Wednesday evening when they travel to Worcester State Univesity for a 5:30 MASCAC game with the Lancers.