Men's Basketball Opens MASCAC Slate with 107-98 Win Over Fitchburg

FITCHBURG, Mass. -- Six players scored in double-figures as the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team opened Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play with a 107-98 victory over Fitchburg State University on Wednesday night at Parkinson Gymnasium.

The Bears improve to 3-9 (1-0 MASCAC) on the season with the win while the Falcons fall to 6-6 (0-1 MASCAC).

Bridgewater reached the 100-point mark for the first time this season as the Bears shot 61.1% (33-54) for the game, including 12-for-28 (42.9%) from three-point range, and went 29-for-38 (76.3%) at the free throw line.

Junior forward Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.) scored 23 points to pace the Bears. Campbell went 13-for-15 at the free throw line. He also added six rebounds.

Junior guard Sam Sweeney (Burlington, Vt.), senior forward Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) and freshman guard Jake Olmstead (Franklin, Mass.) came off the bench to score 18, 16 and 15 points, respectively.  Jennings recorded his third double-double of the season as he pulled down a game-high ten rebounds (three offensive).

The BSU bench outscored the Fitchburg reserves, 56-26.

Bridgewater also received 11 points from junior guard Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.), all in the first half, and ten points from senior guard Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.).

Fitchburg was led by a game-high 34 points from junior guard Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, Texas). Jackson also corralled a team-best nine rebounds with four coming off the offensive glass.

Junior guard Matthew Drayton (Roxbury, Mass.) added 17 points for the Falcons who also received 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench from junior guard Kobe Witherow-Bass (Sacramento, Calif.) as well as ten points and nine rebounds (five offensive) from junior forward Joshua Jean Charles (Dorchester, Mass.).

The Bears led by as many as 12 points (47-35) in the first half and took a 49-41 lead into the break.

Bridgewater shot 61.5% (16-26) in the opening stanza including 7-for-14 (50%) from behind the arc.

Olmstead and Taylor tallied 11 points apiece over the first 20 minutes while Jennings tallied eight.

Jackson led all players with 13 first-half points.

Fitchburg closed to within five points (55-50) following a Nicolas Von Zboray (Sr., Sacramento, Calif.) three-pointer early in the second half. The Bears, however, responded with a 10-0 run sparked by a Jayden Florestal (Fr., Foxborough, Mass.) three-pointer and seven points (five free throws) from Campbell to make it a 15-point game (65-50) with 16:32 left to play.

Fitchburg rallied and closed the gap to six following a Jackson layup with 13:12 remaining. But six straight points from the Bears, including a three-pointer by freshman forward Kyden Wiley (Wesley Chapel, Fla.), pushed the BSU lead back up to 12 (74-62) with 12:16 showing on the scoreboard.

The Falcons came soaring back outscoring the Bears 24-8 over the next five minutes to take an 86-82 lead. Jackson scored nine points during the run while Drayton tallied seven and Jeremiah Simeon (Sr., Norwalk, Conn.) and Tyriek Williams (Sr., Canonsburg, Pa.) notched four points apiece. Bridgewater turned the ball over five times and committed four fouls during the five-minute stretch.

The Bears answered with a 14-3 run, capped off by a Sweeney three-pointer, to jump back on top, 96-89, with under four minutes left to play. A jumper by Bah have the Bears the lead (90-88) for good while Jennings notched five points during the spurt including a traditional three-point play.

Fitchburg would get no closer than five points the rest of the way. The Bears went 5-for-6 at the free throw line over the final 48 seconds to secure the 107-98 victory.

The Falcons shot 46.9% from the floor, 30% (6-20) from behind the arc and 66.7% (16-24) at the charity stripe.

After taking the 86-82 lead, Fitchburg connected on just 4 of 12 field goal attempts, went 4-for-8 at the free throw line and turned the ball over four times over the final seven minutes.

The 107-point effort marks the Bears' highest scoring output since a 109-86 win over Framingham State University on January 6, 2024.

Bridgewater is 90-33 versus Fitchburg since 1960. The Bears have won each of the last seven meetings and will have a chance to sweep the season-series for a fourth straight year on the last day of the month at the Tinsley Center.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon at two o'clock. The Bears host the Vikings of Salem State University while the Falcons entertain the Rams of Framingham State University.