Yard's 26 Points Leads Men's Basketball to 94-82 Win over UMass Dartmouth

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Shawn Yard (Brockton, Mass.) scored a career high 26 points to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a 94-82 victory over visiting UMass Dartmouth in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at the Tinsley Center.

Yard connected on 7 of 10 field goal attempts, including 5-for-6 from three-point range, and added eight assists, five steals and four rebounds.  Sophomore forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) added 18 points to go along with nine boards and four assists, while classmate Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.) finished with 20 points.  Lofton was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor while Gibson knocked down 8 of 10 field goal attempts.

The Bears limited the Corsairs to just four points over the first 7 ½ minutes of the contest and would maintain a double-digit advantage for most of the game.  Bridgewater led by as many as 20 points, including a 71-51 margin with 9:25 remaining in the second half.  UMass would use a late run to pull to within eight points (81-73) with 2:39 left, but would get no closer.

With the victory, the Bears even their record at 2-2.  The Corsairs, still in search of their first win, slip to 0-4 on the young season.

Bridgewater shot 59% (32-for-54) from the floor for the game including 10 of 18 (56%) from behind the arc.  The Bears also scored 33 points off of 24 UMass turnovers.  Senior guard Brendan McDonald (Dorchester, Mass.) added 12 points off the bench while junior guard Brian Grossman (Duxbury, Mass.) rounded out Bridgewater's double-digit scorers with 11 points.

UMass had six players score in double-figures led by junior guard John Genkos (Worcester, Mass.) with 18 points.  Sophomore center Alex Rodrigues (Fall River, Mass.) and sophomore guard Mike Rotando (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.) finished with 14 points apiece. Freshman forward Abi Akanni (Fitchburg, Mass.), sophomore guard Jake Laga (Northampton, Mass.) and junior forward Eleazer Clayton (Boston, Mass.) chipped in with 12, 11 and ten points, respectively.  Clayton pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

UMass held a 34-27 rebounding advantage with a 15-8 edge on the offensive glass.  After scoring just 31 points in the opening stanza, the Corsairs poured in 51 points over the final 20 minutes thanks in part to eight second half trifectas. Rotando was 3-for-4 from three-point range in the final stanza while Genkos connected on 3 of 7.

In upcoming action, Bridgewater travels to Wheaton College on Saturday afternoon to take on the Lyons at one.  UMass entertains Little East Conference foe Keene State College on Friday night at 7:30.