By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team was struggling when it reached the semester break in December.
The Bears dropped six of seven games prior to being off for 17 days and were sitting at 3-7.
Ever since returning on Dec. 30 for the Trinity Holiday Invitational in Connecticut, though, BSU has been a different team from the one in November and early December.
The Bears are on a seven-game winning streak after taking care of Fitchburg State University, 98-73, on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.
BSU is now 10-3 since returning from the break and is in first place in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference with one game remaining.
"I noticed it really since we came back from Christmas," said Bears coach Matt McLaughlin about the first signs of a turnaround. "I thought there was an adjustment of mindset, focus and that locked in mentality.
"We had a really good tournament at Trinity. We played well and started to mesh well. Coming back from break, we had the conversation with the team of what our potential is, who we can be if we want to be, and it's a credit to them buying in, investing and staying locked in."
The Bears (13-10 overall) are 9-2 in the MASCAC, ahead of Worcester State University (8-2) and Westfield State University (7-3) heading into the final week.
BSU concludes its regular season at Westfield State on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. while the Owls and Worcester State each have two games remaining.
Against Fitchburg State (3-20, 1-9 MASCAC), the Bears took the lead for good midway through the first half and led by as many as 32 points during the second half.
Senior Precious Okoh (Brockton, Mass.) had 19 of his 24 points in the first half and added 10 rebounds and three assists. Okoh made 6 of 10 shots from 3-point range.
Also in double figures were freshman Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.) with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting off the bench, sophomore Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) with 12 points, six assists and five rebounds and freshman Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.) with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench.
Graduate student Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.), playing his final regular-season home game, had six points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Two seniors who were in the starting lineup for the final regular-season home game with Okoh and Halbleib were Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.), who had nine points and two rebounds, and Alvin Chukwuezi (Nashua, N.H.).
Fitchburg State was led by Frederick Siayor (Worcester, Mass.) with 11 points and five rebounds and Javon Taylor (Cambridge, Mass.) with 10 points.
BSU had a 14-5 lead 4:37 into the game with Okoh hitting three straight 3-pointers, but a 17-6 run put Fitchburg State ahead, 22-20. The Bears never trailed after that, using a 12-0 spurt capped by a 3-pointer from Campbell for a 32-22 lead.
BSU also went on an 8-0 run later in the half and held a 49-39 lead at halftime.
The Bears shot 53 percent in the second half when they outscored Fitchburg State, 49-34, and the Falcons never threatened in the final 20 minutes.
BSU has scored at least 90 points in four of the last five games, missing that mark by just one point in the other game. The Bears had assists on 23 of their 36 baskets.
"It helps when you've got a one-two punch like Dante and Precious," said McLaughlin. "You can talk all you want about Dante and Precious. They're obviously the one-two punch. But Em's tough, Lou (Jennings) is tough, Josh's tough, Zach's tough. Parsons is tough. Parsons has starting experience."
McLaughlin pointed to the Bears' second unit for raising the level of the team during practices.
"A big credit goes to the gray squad," said McLaughlin of the reserves. "They might not get all the highlights in the game, the spotlight of the minutes. But they push our guys every day and they beat them. It's a very competitive environment that they create."
McLaughlin praised the four players who were on the Tinsley Center floor for their final regular-season game.
"We always talk about being great teammates and I think they are all great teammates and they care about the program," he said. "They understand the importance of what it means to be a good teammate."
BSU can secure no less than a top two seed in the MASCAC tournament with a win at Westfield State on Wednesday. The Bears defeated the Owls on Jan. 20 at home, 81-75.
"It's a big game and it's that whole mantra of we've got to win today," said McLaughlin. "Let's just focus on that. We've got to prepare for Westfield. They're a very good team with length and size and athleticism and talent. It's a tough game. It's a big challenge for the last game, but it's what we need. We need to go take that."