BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior forward Joseph Carty (Natick, Mass.) tallied a career-high 26 points to go along with 13 rebounds and sophomore forward Rayshon Ward (Plymouth, Mass.) notched 21 points and 11 boards to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to an 82-68 non-conference victory over UMass Boston on Monday night at the Tinsley Center.
The Bears improve to 7-6 on the season with their third straight win, while the Beacons fall to 7-7. Bridgewater State is now 17-18 all-time against UMass.
Carty connected on 8 of 17 field goals and went 8-for-10 from the line. Four of his game-high 13 boards came off the offensive glass. The double-double marked Carty's fourth straight and team-leading seventh of the 2017-2018 campaign.
Ward went 9 for 14 from the floor and also added a game-best seven assists as he recorded his third double-double of the season.
Sophomore forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) contributed 12 points on 6 of 9 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three blocked shots for the Bears. Bridgewater blocked nine shots in the game with senior center Dakari Hannah-Wornum (Boston, Mass.) leading the way with five blocks. Dakari-Wornum also tallied seven points and five boards.
Freshman guard Charles Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) paced UMass with 26 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Mitchell knocked down 7 of 15 three-point attempts. Freshman guard Michael Boyd (Malden, Mass.) added 18 points for the Beacons, while senior forward Dan Powers (Westwood, Mass.) checked in with 12 points, five caroms and four assists.
The score was tied 33-33 at the break as the first half featured six ties and four lead changes. Mitchell tallied 18 of the Beacons' 33 points in the opening stanza as he connected for six three-pointers. Carty paced the Bears with 12 first-half points.
Bridgewater State shot 42% (10-24) over the first 20 minutes, while UMass shot 36% (12-33) from the floor. Seven of the Beacons' 12 made field goals were three-pointers. The two teams also combined for 26 turnovers in the period.
UMass opened the second half with a 10-2 run highlighted by a pair of three-pointers by Powers. The Bears, however, answered with ten straight points to take a 45-43 lead with 15:12 remaining. Carty scored six points during the run, including a pair of three-points plays, while St. Louis notched four.
Out of a UMB timeout, a three-pointer by Mitchell reclaimed the lead for the Beacons, but fastbreak layups by Carty, St. Louis, and Ward, followed by a Carty put-back put Bridgewater back on top, 53-46, and forced another UMass timeout with 11:34 showing on the scoreboard.
Later in the period, a 9-3 BSU run capped off by a Hannah-Wornum layup, gave the Bears a ten-point lead (65-55) with six minutes left play. A Boyd layup followed by a Mitchell traditional three-point play pulled the Beacons to within five, but the Bears answered with a 10-2 run to get the lead back to double-digits (75-62) and put the game out of reach with 2 ½ minutes remaining. Ward scored the first four points of the run, while sophomore guard Brian Grant (Hyde Park, Mass.) capped it off with a breakaway layup.
Grant finished with eight points, four assists and a pair of steals in 21 minutes off the bench.
The Bears, who overcame 20 turnovers, shot 53% (29-55) for the game and went 6-for-12 (50%) from behind the arc and 18-for-23 (78%) at the free throw line.
The Beacons connected on just 35% (26-74) of their field goals attempts. UMass did convert 10 of 23 (44%) three-point attempts, but went just 6-for-14 (43%) at the charity stripe.
Both teams are back in action on Wednesday evening. The Bears open Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play at home against the Trailblazers of MCLA. Tip-off is slated for seven o'clock. The Beacons travel to Plymouth State University for a 7:30 Little East Conference (LEC) tilt with the Panthers.