Men's Basketball Edged by Fitchburg State, 95-93

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team dropped its second straight game on Saturday afternoon, falling to 4-4 in the Massachusetts
State Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The Bears, who trailed by 15 points in the first half and held a six-point lead in the second half, were edged by Fitchburg State University, 95-93, at the Tinsley Center.

BSU (7-12 overall) had a chance to force overtime in the closing seconds of overtime but could not convert, and the Falcons (10-9, 4-4 MASCAC) held on to prevent being swept by the Bears this season.

There wre 16 lead changes and six ties in the game with both teams moving in front on several occasions down the stretch.

Five players were in double figures for BSU, led by junior Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.).

Taylor had 21 points on 10-for-19 shooting with six rebounds and four assists.

Junior Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.) added 19 points, making 8 of 13 shots, to go with three assists and two blocked shots.

Senior Louis Jennings (Walpole, Mass.) scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Senior Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) played 39 minutes and had 15 points, 12 assists and four steals.

Junior Sam Sweeney (Burlington, Vt.) added 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting with three 3-pointers and four rebounds.

Fitchburg State also had five players in double figures with junior Jalen Jackson (San Antonio, Texas) getting 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting with six rebounds and four assists.

Senior Nicolas von Zboray (Sacramento, Calif.) scored 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers while junior Takoma Rosario (Vista, Calif.) had 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

Scoring 12 points each were junior Kobe Witherow-Bass (Sacramento, Calif.), who made 6 of 7 shots, and junior Matthew Drayton (Roxbury, Mass.).

The Bears hiut 53 percent of their shots and had just five turnovers while the Falcons connected on 55 percent of their shots and had only six turnovers.

BSU was down, 43-28, with 3:57 to go in the first half after a 3-pointer by Drayton, but it rallied to get within 50-44 at halftime.

A jumper an two foul shots by Campbell and a 3-pointer by Jennings in the closing minutes sparked the rally.

BSU went ahead, 53-50, 1:53 into the second half, scoring the first nine points after the break.

Taylor hit a 3-pointer and a layup while Jennings had a pair of layups.

The Bears were up, 63-56, with 13:58 remaining as Kikuba scored five straight points, Campbell made a free throw and Jennings hit a layup.

An 8-0 run gave the Falcons the lead again at 64-63, Jackson connecting on a 3-pointer to cap the run.

A layup by Kikuba and a 3-pointer by Sweeney had the Bears up, 72-69, with 9:30 left, but the Falcons went ahead, 83-77, after two Jackson foul shots.

The Bears rallied for an 87-83 lead with 4:45 to play as Kikuba and Sweeney made 3-pointers and Taylor hit two baskets in the 10-0 run.

The Falcons went up, 90-89, by scoring four points in a row, and there were three quick lead changes with Campbell getting two baskets.

A foul shot by junior Tommy Engel-Chatten (Hopkinton, Mass.) tied the game at 93 with 1:45 remaining.

Drayton broke the tie with the winning basket with 1:07 to go, making a layup.

The Bears did not score in the final two minutes and missed a shot from the corner with one second remaining that would have tied it.

BSU is on the road Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game against Salem State.

Fitchburg State will travel to Framingham State for a 7:30 p.m. game.