Mass' Last Second Jumper Lifts Men's Basketball to Dramatic 67-65 Win

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Junior guard Fawaz Mass (Taunton, Mass.) knocked down the game-winning jumper with just 9/10 of a second remaining in regulation to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a dramatic 67-65 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Worcester State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The host Bears improve to 10-12 on the season and 6-4 in the MASCAC, while the Lancers fall to 15-8 overall and 7-3 in conference play.

After Worcester had tied the game up at 65-65, Bridgewater called time out with just 22 seconds left in regulation. Mass got the ball at the top of the key and rattled home the game-winning pull-up jumper from the foul line to give the Bears the key conference win.

Mass finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Six of his 11 points came in the final 83 seconds of the game.

Sophomore forward Joseph Carty (Natick, Mass.) paced the Bears with 15 points and 17 rebounds to go along with a blocked shot. The double-double marked his team-leading fifth of the season. Freshman guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) added 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench.

Junior center Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) and junior guard Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) both finished with double-doubles to lead the way for the visiting Lancers. Brooks tallied 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, including seven offensive, and four blocks. Shakir notched 17 points and 11 rebounds with six coming off the offensive glass. Freshman guard Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) chipped in 15 points in 28 minutes off the bench.

The Bears seemed in control of the game as they held a 59-47 advantage following a Mass three-point play with 6:25 remaining in the second half. The Lancers, however, went on a 13-2 run, highlighted by six points from Brooks, over the next five-plus minutes to make it a one-point game, 61-60, with under two minutes left to play. Brooks scored six points to highlight the spurt.

A pair of Mass free throws at the 1:23 mark ended the run and put the Bears back up by three. Shakir, however, answered at the other end of the floor with a basket and free throw to knot the score at 63-63 with just over a minute remaining.

With the shot clock winding down on the Bears' ensuing possession, Mass knocked down a jumper from the top of the key to put BSU back on top, 65-63. Santos quickly answered with a driving layup just eight second later to again tie the score, 65-65. That would set the stage for Mass' last second heroics.

Bridgewater shot 37% (25-67) from the floor, including 5-for-13 (39%) from behind the arc. The Bears also knocked down 12 of 13 (92%) free throw attempts.

Worcester connected on 39% (27-70) of its field goal attempts and finished just 2-for-16 (13%) from three-point range. The Lancer held a 42-28 advantage in points in the paint with a 22-8 edge in the second half.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Wednesday evening. The Bears host the Owls of Westfield State University at 7:30 while the Lancers travel to Framingham State University for an eight o'clock game with the Rams.