Worcester, MA --- Bridgewater State senior Barrett Murphy (Marshfield, MA) netted a team-best 22 points on 7-of 11 shooting with a trio of three-pointers as he helped pace the Bears to a 93-82 overtime victory over Worcester State in MASCAC men's basketball action this evening at the Laska Gymnasium.
Other standouts for Bridgewater State (15-7, 8-2 MASCAC) included senior Michael Lofton (Mansfield, MA) who notched a double-double with 21 points and a game-best 16 boards as classmate Kyle Gibson (Franklin, MA) poured in 20 points with six rebounds.
Senior Justin Clark (Yarmouth Port, MA) chipped in with 17 points and sophomore Fwaz Mass (Marshfield, MA) added nine in 15 minutes off the bench for the visitors.
The Lancers (5-17, 2-7 MASCAC) were guided by a career-best 28 points on a 11-for-14 effort from the floor by sophomore Marquez McKreith-Collins (Springfield, MA/Cathedral) while senior Charles Gunter (Boston, MA/New Mission) tallied 19 points with six rebounds.
Sophomore Ryan DiBernardo (Springfield, MA/Cathedral) stuffed the box score with 11 points, five swipes, four helpers and a trio of caroms as classmate Paul Brooks (Arlington, MA) pulled down nine boards and he dished out five assists with two blocks.
Worcester State held the early 18-13 advantage midway through the opening period before Clark and Murphy both sank two trifectas each in a 16-7 spurt to help take over a 29-24 edge with 4:46 left in the stanza.
The Lancers pulled even at 31-31 on a McKreith-Collins lay-up at the 2:26 mark, but Gibson splashed the net with another trey and Mass lifted a floater from the top of the key to help the Bears lead at the intermission, 36-31.
After BSU built their margin up to 42-35 on the back of a traditional three-point play by Murphy, Worcester State responded in a big way with an 18-6 run take over the 53-48 lead with 11:18 remaining in regulation.
The skein was a team effort as six different players contributed a field goal and McKreith-Collins capped off the surge with a three-point play of his own.
Both teams went basket for basket the rest of the way as the Bears trimmed the deficit to one point on two occasions and WSU led by as many as six twice. Bridgewater State finally used one final kick at the end of the frame to force their third consecutive extra session game and seventh of the campaign.
With the Lancers up 70-64 with 2:26 on the clock, Lofton registered a key three-point play to whittle the lead down to a one-possession contest.
McKreith-Collins answered with a field goal in the paint to go up 72-67, but then Clark drilled a three-pointer to put the pressure on the hosts entering the final minute of the game down by two points.
After the Blue and Gold ran down the shot clock and failed to get off a play on their next series, Lofton was fouled and he promptly hit both of his free throws to tie up the score 72-72 with 31 ticks left on the clock.
WSU had a chance to win it, but Gibson came up with a key rejection on a lay-up attempt by Gunter with 9.0 seconds showing on the board.
In the overtime period, it was close early on, but the Bears connected on three of their first four attempts from the field and never looked back as the visitors built up an 81-74 lead with 2:11 on the clock. The early 9-2 push by Bridgewater State culminated on the back of a Murphy three-pointer.
The Bears dropped in 10 of their 12 attempts from the free throw stripe to seal up their fifth overtime victory of the year while WSU only got within seven points twice in the waning moments of the game.
Both squads were lethal from the floor. Worcester State sizzled with a 53 percent effort (32-for-61) and the hosts canned half of their long-range shots overall (7-for-14). The visitors drained 49 percent (31-for-63) and matched the effort, connecting on eight of their 16 bids from downtown.
Bridgewater State also led in points off turnovers (22-16), second-chance baskets (12-8) and generated nearly a quarter of their offense at the charity stripe with a 77 percent clip from the line (23-for-30).
The Lancers dominated the paint (48-38) and held a slight edge in transition baskets (17-13). The rebounding department was even (33-33), but BSU held the advantage in offensive caroms (12-8).
Both squads play MASCAC opponents again this Saturday at 3 o'clock. Worcester State makes the trek down I-90 to play Westfield State while the Bears entertain Fitchburg State.