Okoh's Late Game Heroics Lift Men's Basketball to 81-79 Win Over Emerson

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Precious Okoh (Brockton, Mass.) knocked down a layup with seven seconds left in regulation to lift the visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to an 81-79 victory over Emerson College on Wednesday evening at Brown and Plofker Gym.

The Bears remain unbeaten on the season at 3-0, while the Lions fall to 1-2.

Okoh finished with a game-high 23 points as he knocked down 5 of 11 three-point attempts.

BSU graduate center Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.) posted a double-double with 20 points and ten rebounds (two offensive) to go along with two steals and three blocked shots. The Bears also received 14 points, seven rebounds, a game-best seven assists and a pair of steals from freshman guard Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.), as well as 15 points and six boards from junior forward Peyton Priest (Papillion, Neb.).

The Bears used a 18-2 run to erase an early seven-point first-half deficit and open up a 27-18 lead. Okoh scored 13 of his 23 points, including a trio of three-pointers, during the spurt while sophomore guard Alex Gonzalez (Peabody, Mass.) started the rally with a pair of free throws and capped it off with a three-pointer.

Later in the period, the visitors took a 30-22 advantage following a Kikuba layup with 7:10 remaining until halftime. The Bears, however, managed to score just two points over the final seven minutes as the Lions closed out the stanza with a 17-2 run to take a 39-32 lead into the break. The hosts knocked down three trifectas during the spurt including a pair from junior guard Trevor Arico (Ann Arbor, Mich.).

An 11-2 run capped off by a Priest three-pointer to open the second half put the Bears back on top, 43-41. Bridgewater would never trail again, although the remainder of the stanza would feature three ties.

The Bears seemed in control of the contest after a Kikuba layup made it a seven-point game (78-71) with just 54 seconds left to play. But a layup by graduate center Jarred Houston (Norwood, Mass.) followed by a Nate Martin (Gr., Washington, D.C.) trifecta closed the deficit to 78-76 with just 28 seconds showing on the scoreboard. The Lions quickly fouled, and Priest made 1 of 2 free throws to push the BSU advantage to three (79-76). Out of a timeout, senior guard James Beckwith (Palo Alto, Calif.) drained a clutch three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining to tie the game up and set the stage for Okoh's heroics.

The Bears did not call timeout following the Beckwith three and quickly moved the ball up the court. Okoh beat his defender one-on-one on the left side and drove to the hoop for the game-winning layup. Emerson had a chance to either tie or win the game, but the Bears made a great defensive play as Kikuba stripped the ball from behind before the Lions could get up a shot.

Martin paced Emerson with 22 points, three assists, two steals and two blocks, while Houston posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 17 rebounds to go along with five assists and a game-best six blocks. Beckwith added 15 points and three assists for the Lions, and Arico checked in with 12 points in 25 minutes off the bench.

Both teams shot 41% from the floor in the tightly contested matchup. The Bears went 12-for-32 (37.%) from three-point range, while the Lions converted 13 of 32 (40.6%) from behind the arc. Bridgewater finished 9-for-13 (69.2%) at the free throw line while Emerson made just six trips (4-for-6) to the charity stripe.

The Bears held a 9-2 advantage in second chance points as well as a 36-26 edge in points in the paint.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday. The Bears travel to Johnson & Wales University for a three o'clock game with the Wildcats, while the Lions head to UMass Lowell to take on the Division I River Hawks at five.