Lofton Nets 30 in 71-65 MASCAC Win Over Worcester

BRIDGEWATER,  Mass. – Senior forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) posted a double-double with a season-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a 71-65 victory over Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival Worcester State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 10-6 on the season and 3-1 in the MASCAC, while the Lancers slip to 3-13 overall and 0-3 in conference play.

Lofton went 14-for-25 from the floor and seven of his team-best 11 boards came off the offensive glass.  He also two blocked shots and a pair of steals.

Senior forward Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.) added 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Bears. Gibson was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line and is shooting 80% (88-110) from the charity stripe for the year.

Sophomore center Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) paced the visiting Lancers with a team-best 22 points on 11 of 13 shooting.  Brooks also finished with a double-double as he pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds with four of the offensive variety.  Senior forward Charles Gunter (Boston, Mass.) added a career-high 18 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.

Trailing 19-16 with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half, the Bears closed out the stanza with a to 19-6 run to take a 35-25 lead into the break. Lofton scored ten points during the run while Murphy knocked down a pair of three-pointers.

The Bears maintained a double-digit over the first 12 minutes of the second half and were seemingly in control of the game as they held a 54-43 advantage as the clock ticked under eight minutes.

With their backs against the wall, Worcester State got back into the contest with an 9-2 spurt and trailed 56-52 with 5:31 left in regulation.

After Lofton netted a pair of buckets and senior guard Barrett Murphy (Marshfield, Mass.) hit the front end of a two-shot foul to bring the advantage back up to seven points (61-54), sophomore Ryan DiBernardo (Springfield, Mass.) responded for the Blue and Gold with a trifecta. Following a BSU miscue on their next possession, a lay-up by Brooks made it a 61-59 game as 1:51 read on the clock.

Out of a timeout, Lofton threw down an alley-oop dunk and added a breakaway layup off his own steal to extend the BSU lead to 65-59.  Brooks came right back with an uncontested layup to make it a four-point game with 1:04 remaining.

The Bears had a chance to extend the lead, but missed an opportunity at the charity stripe with a bonus try. With time winding down the Lancers tried to slice into the deficit as senior Brendan Rios (Easthampton, MA) had a look from long range, however, his off balanced three-pointer was well off the mark.

Gibson would go 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 31 seconds to secure the win for the Bears.

Bridgewater shot 45% (26-58) from the floor including 5-for-12 (42%) from behind the arc.  The Bears also connected on 14 of 18 (78%) free throw attempts.

Worcester sank 52% (29-56) of their field goal attempts for the game, but went just 1-for-7 (14%) from three-point range.  The Lancers held a decided 56-32 edge in points in the point.

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday night.   The Bears travel to Fitchburg State University to take on the Falcons at 7:30, while the Lancers entertain the Owls of Westfield State University at 8:00.