NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Senior forward Joseph Carty (Natick, Mass.) posted a double-double with 21 points and a game-high 17 rebounds to lead the visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to an 88-75 victory over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival MCLA on Wednesday night at the Amsler Campus Center.
The Bears, who overcame a slow start, improve to 13-7 on the season and 6-1 in the MASCAC, while the host Trailblazers fall to 6-13 overall and 3-5 in conference play. Bridgewater has won four straight games and nine of its last ten.
Carty was 7-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the free throw line, and five of his 17 boards came off the offensive glass. He also dished out a team-high five assists. The double-double marked Carty's team-leading 12th of the season.
Senior guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) contributed 20 points on 9 of 17 shooting to go along with three steals for the Bears, while sophomore guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) collected 17 points and canned four three-pointers. Sophomore forwards Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) and Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) added with 13 and 12 points, respectively, in the win.
The Bears scored just five points over the first seven minutes of the game and trailed 11-5 with 12 ½ minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Bridgewater went just 2-for-9 from the floor, missed two free throws and turned the ball over four times during that span. The BSU offense finally got untracked as the Bears used a 12-1 run over the next five minutes to take a 17-12 lead. Five different plays scored during the spurt which was jumpstarted by a Michael Vrabel three-pointer. Bridgewater would never trail again. MCLA got to within three points on a pair of occasions in the first half, but BSU cruised into the break holding a 37-32 advantage.
In the second half, the Bears wasted little time extending the lead. The visitors increased the lead to double figures for the first time on a jumper from Carty to make it 44-34. They would push out to a sizable 65-48 advantage with 10:17 left to play before MCLA made one last run. The Trailblazers would get to within nine points at 71-62 and seemed to have some momentum. Carty, however, knocked down a top of the key three-pointer with 4:58 left to push the lead back to a double digits at 74-62. That bucket started a 6-0 spurt that effectively put the game out of reach and the Bears weren't challenged from there.
MCLA was led by Adam Conquest's season best effort of 25 points and nine rebounds. He was 11-for-18 from the floor. Mike Demartinis and Ki-Shawn Monroe added 13 points apiece, while Noah Yearsley tallied 12 in the loss. Monroe recorded a game-best seven assists for the Trailblazers.
Both teams shot the ball well as the Bears connected at a 52% (34-65) clip while the Trailblazers shot 51% (31-61) from the floor. Bridgewater went 9-for-21 (43%) from behind the arc.
The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Saturday afternoon at three. The Trailblazers travel to Worcester State University, while the Bears entertain Westfield State University.