Men's Basketball Drops 83-81 Decision to Worcester State

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State University men's basketball team withstood a second-half comeback as the Lancers edged visiting Bridgewater State University, 83-81, on Wednesday night at Brissette Gymnasium.

The Lancers improve to 9-10 on the season and 5-1 in the MASCAC, while the Bears fall to 6-12 overall and 3-3 in conference play.

Junior forward Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass.) and junior guard Chris Cardoso (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) each recorded double-doubles to lead the way for Worcester State. Bjorn tallied 19 points and 13 rebounds (six offensive), while Cardoso notched 19 points and ten boards. Sophomore guard Corey Olivier (Maynard, Mass.) and freshman guard Sam Dion (Barre, Mass.) added 11 points apiece for the Lancers.

Senior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) paced Bridgewater State with 19 points and 14 rebounds as he recorded his ninth double-double of the season. Senior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) checked in with 14 points for the Bears, while senior forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.), junior guard Jonathan Mercado (Lynn, Mass.) and sophomore forward Jose Monteiro Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) finished with 11 points apiece.

Worcester led 42-37 at the break and held a 70-54 advantage with 11:19 (4:52) remaining in the second half. The Bears, however, came roaring back outscoring the Lancers 20-3 over the next 6 ½ minutes to jump in front, 74-73, with 4:52 left to play. Mercado scored seven points during the run and capped it off with a three-pointer. Ward and sophomore guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) also knocked down trifectas during the spurt.

The rest of the game featured one tie and five lead changes. A Carney layup followed by a Monteiro Jr. dunk gave the Bears an 80-79 lead. Bridgewater, however, scored just on point over the final 3 ½ minutes. Bjorn dropped in a layup and senior guard Tyler Dion (Barre, Mass.) knocked down a pair of free throws to reclaim the lead for the Lancers, 81-80. Ward converted 1 of 2 at the line to knot the score, but Olivier knocked down what proved to be the winning jumper with 1:40 showing on the scoreboard. Neither team would score again.

The Lancers shot 51% (33-65) for the game and went 8-for-24 (33%) from behind the arc and 9-for-10 (90%) at the free throw line. The Bears connected on 43% (32-75) of their field goal attempts including 6-for-20 (30%) from three-point range. The visitors also went 11-for-15 (73%) at the charity stripe.

The Bears head to MCLA on Saturday for a three o'clock MASCAC game with the Trailblazers. The Lancers are off until next Wednesday (Feb. 5) when they travel to conference rival Westfield State University to take on the Owls at 7:30.

Notes: Ward (1,281 pts.) Moved into 16th place on the Bears' all-time scoring list.