Men's Basketball Falls to Worcester State, 101-93

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team ended the first half of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule by falling short in a comeback bid.

The Bears trailed Worcester State University by 15 points with 6:35 remaining, then closed to within four in the final minute.

But the Lancers hit four free throws in the last 13 seconds to seal a 101-93 victory over BSU at the Tinsley Center Wednesday night.

Worcester State (8-10) improved to 6-1, tied for first place with Westfield State at the midway point.

The Bears (6-12) are 4-3 in the conference, situated in third place.

BSU outscored Worcester State, 29-22, in less than six minutes to get within four points at 97-93 with 25 seconds to play. But the Bears were unable to score again and were stopped by the Lancers.

"They didn't lay down," said BSU coach Matt McLaughlin of his team. "They fought. They put us in a situation to take it.

"It's forward growth, forward motion. Definitely happy with the effort, the fight and the toughness. There were just a couple of possessions where we've got to buckle down and get a stop."

Juniors Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.), Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.) and Sam Sweeney (Burlington, Vt.) combined for 68 of the Bears' 93 points.

Campbell led the way with 25 points, hitting three 3-pointers, and had seven rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and two steals in 34 minutes.

Campbell continues to round into form after being sidelined the first nine games with an ankle injury.

"That's huge," said McLaughlin. "He's a big piece. He helps boost up our offense for sure. It helps other guys get freed up as well."

Taylor added 23 points, making two 3-pointers, and added six rebounds and five assists.

Sweeney, in 25 minutes off the bench, had 20 points and was 4-for-8 on 3-pointers.

Also in double figures was senior Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) with 11 points.

Worcester State was led by sophomore Joe Okla (Worcester, Mass.), who had 26 points on 9-for-10 shooting with 15 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.

Sophomore Jaydon Buckie (Windsor Locks, Conn.) added 23 points, making 8 of 14 shots, while senior Johnny Annan (Worcester, Mass.) scored 17 points with nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals and four blocked shots.

Two other starters were also in double figures. Junior Daniel Wondie (Seattle, Wash.) had 11 points and sophomore Rayan Sablon (Stoughton, Mass.) scored 10 points with six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Lancers outrebounded the Bears, 53-35, and had 23 offensive rebounds, seven each by Okla and Annan.

"Offensive rebounds were a big one, obviously, but we're small," said McLaughlin. "We've got to outwork the other team. It's definitely a challenge when you go against someone like Okla.

"Overall, I'm happy with how we played. Twenty-three offensive rebounds means we stopped them 23 times, we just couldn't limit the second-chance opportunities."

There were eight lead changes and five ties in the first half that ended with the Bears trailing, 42-37.

BSU had a 24-22 lead after a Taylor basket with 7:20 left before the break, but Worcester State scored 20 points the rest of the way to open the lead.

The Bears were down, 45-42, two minutes into the second half after a Jennings' basket, but an 11-0 run gave Worcester State a double-digit lead at 56-42 with 15:11 remaining.

Buckle had six of the points and Okla added four.

BSU got within nine before the Lancers pushed the lead back up to 77-62 on a Okla layup.

The Lancers held a 79-64 advantage with 6:35 to go before BSU made one last bid.

Taylor scored 10 of the Bears' final 29 points while Sweeney had nine, including a pair of 3-pointers.

A 3-pointer by Sweeney made it 89-83 with 2:15 to go, and a Sweeney three=point play pulled BSU within 93-86 with 1:17 left.

Sweeney hit another 3-pointer with 43 seconds left for a 96-91 deficit and a layup by Jennigs cut it to 97-93 with 25 seconds to play.

But Okla and Buckle each made two foul shots in the last 13 seconds to stifle BSU.

The Bears are home again Saturday at 2 p.m. to face Fitchburg State in the second-half opener.

"I feel good about the team," said McLaughlin. "I feel like we're in forward motion. We see the growth every day in practice, we see the growth in the games. Now it's those key possessions, secure the rebound, those are the things we have to get done."

The Bears have now lost 12 of their last 13 games against Worcester State.

The Lancers travel to the Mass. College of Liberal Arts for a 2 p.m. game Saturday.