BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team held off a late second half rally as the Bears opened Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play with a 66-62 victory over visiting Framingham State University on Wednesday evening at the Tinsley Center.
The Bears improve to 3-9 (1-0 MASCAC) on the season, while the Rams fall to 2-11 (0-1 MASCAC). Bridgewater now holds a 76-38 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 1971.
Sophomore forward Keyth Key (Springfield, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with 17 points, five rebounds and career-highs of five steals and three blocked shots. Senior guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) added ten points, three rebounds and a pair of assists for the Bears, while junior forward Stanley Pierre-Louis (Roxbury, Mass.) checked in with seven points and a career-high 13 rebounds including eight off the offensive glass.
Framingham State freshman guard Ivan Nyantenji (Nashua, N.H/) led all players with a game-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds and four steals. Sophomore forward Jahlani Joshua (Boston, Mass.) notched 17 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in 24 minutes off the bench for the Rams, while sophomore guard Jahden Erold (Boston, Mass.) tallied 14 points, five rebounds, three steals and a game-best six assists.
The Bears used an early 10-2 first half run, highlighted by six points from Key, to open up a 12-4 lead. Bridgewater got up by as many as 12 points (31-19) in the opening stanza and took a 35-25 lead into the break. Pettway scored all ten of his points over the opening 20 minutes while Nyantenji paced the Rams with 13. The BSU defense forced 16 turnovers in the first half which led to a 16-4 edge in points off turnovers.
Framingham pulled to within six (42-36) following a pair Joshua free throws with 12:32 remaining in the second half. The Bears, however, outscored the Rams 16-7 over the next seven minutes to take their biggest lead of the game, 58-43, as the clock ticked under five minutes. Key accounted for seven points during the seven-minute stretch including a three-pointer and a dunk.
The Rams would not go down quietly as back-to-back three-pointers from senior guard Keith Hollman (Cambridge, Mass.) and Nyantenji followed by a Joshua layup cut the deficit to seven, 58-51, with 3:44 left to play. Framingham turned up the defensive pressure as the Rams forced three turnovers over the final five-plus minutes while the Bears connected on just 1 of 6 field goal attempts down the stretch.
A pair of free throws by BSU senior guard David Laine (Bourne, Mass.) and a Key layup sandwiched around an Erold bucket extended the Bears' lead to nine, 62-53, with 2:40 remaining on the scoreboard. A quick 5-0 spurt on a Joshua layup and Nyantenji three-pointer pulled the Rams to within four (62-58). Laine converted two more free throws and Erold answered with a jumper at the other end of the floor to keep it a four-point game. Framingham then forced a turnover and Joshua dropped in a layup to cut the deficit to two (64-62) with 34 seconds showing on the scoreboard. Out of a timeout, BSU graduate guard Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.) was fouled with just 12 seconds left to play and calmy sank both free throws to secure the 66-62 victory.
The Bears shot 39% (25-64) for the game and went 6-for-19 (32%) from behind the arc and 10-for-15 (67%) at the free throw line. The Rams connected on 41% (25-61) of their field goal attempts and finished 5-for-19 (26%) from three-point range and 7-for-9 (78%) at the charity stripe. Bridgewater held a 41-37 rebounding advantage with a 17-13 edge on the offensive glass, and the two teams combined for 47 turnovers.
The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Saturday. The Bears travel to Salem State University to take on the Vikings at noon, while the Rams entertain the Owls of Westfield State University at two o'clock.