Men's Basketball Edges Linfield, 66-65, at the D3hoops.com Classic

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Tyler DeMelo scored 14 points off the bench to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a 66-65 victory over Linfield College at the D3hoops.com Classic on Sunday in Las Vegas.

Bridgewater improves to 4-5 on the season as the Bears have won three straight games.  Linfield falls to 2-7 as the Wildcats have dropped five in a row.

DeMelo connected on 5 of 6 field goal attempts in just 17 minutes of action.  He also added three rebounds an assist, a block and a steal.  Kyle Gibson chipped in with 12 points and five boards for the Bears. Gibson was selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Chris Dirks paced Linfield with a game-high 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting.  Tanner Brill added ten points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Mason Rodby tallied ten points and three boards off the bench.

Bridgewater shot 43% (24-56) from the floor and 35% (6-17) from three-point range.  The Bears knocked down just 12 of 23 (52%) free throw attempts as they were under 60% from the line for the seventh straight game.

Linfield connected on 42% (21-50) of its field goal attempts.  The Wildcats also shot 30% (7-23) from behind the arc and 70% (16-23) at the free throw line.

In a game that featured seven ties and eight lead changes, the Bears used a 10-2 run midway through the second half to turn a nine-point deficit (54-45) into a one-point game (56-55).

Trailing by one (60-59) with just over four minutes remaining, DeMelo scored five straight points on a layup and a three-pointer to give the Bears a 64-60 lead.

A Dirks layup with 56 seconds left pulled the Wildcats to within two (64-62).  The Bears would use almost all of the 35-second play clock on the ensuing possession with Gibson knocking down a jumper to increase the advantage to 66-62.

Ryan Cali drained a three-pointer with five second left for the Wildcats to cut the deficit to one (66-65).  After a missed free throw, Linfield had a chance to win the game but could not convert out of a timeout.

The Bears, who finished 2-0 at the D3hoops.com Classic, will take on Wesleyan University on Friday night at 7:30 at the Hampton Inn/Naismith Classic hosted by Springfield College.