BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior forward Arinze Obiora (Hyde Park, Mass.) and sophomore guard Jake Ashworth (Fairhaven, Mass.) tallied 17 points apiece to lead the visiting UMass Dartmouth men's basketball team to a 77-64 victory over Bridgewater State University on Thursday night at the Tinsley Center.
UMass improves to 5-4 on the season, while Bridgewater State falls to 1-7. The Corsairs have won each of the last four meetings of the two teams and are 27-8 against the Bears since 1981.
Obiora connected on 7 of 12 field goal attempts and added seven rebounds (three offensive) and a pair of steals. Ashworth knocked down 3 of 8 three-point field goals and notched three boards and three assists.
Senior forward Atakan Akcam (Ankara, Turkey) added 11 points, a game-high nine rebounds (five offensive) and two steals for the Corsairs, while sophomore forward Harry Alexander (Washington, D.C.) came off the bench to notch 12 points and six boards (five offensive) in 15 minutes of action.
Junior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) paced Bridgewater State with 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Junior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) added 15 points, seven caroms and a game-high five assists for the Bears.
Bridgewater opened the game with a 9-0 run and outscored the Corsairs 32-15 over the first 11 minutes of the contest. From that point on it was all UMass Dartmouth as the Corsairs closed out the first half with a 20-2 run and held the Bears scoreless over the final seven minutes of the stanza to take a 35-34 lead into the break. Bridgewater turned the ball over 13 times during the run and 15 times in the half.
Obiora scored ten points in the first half to pace UMass, while Carney tallied ten for Bridgewater State.
The Corsairs shot just 36% (14-39) from the floor, 17% (2-12) from behind the arc and 56% (5-9) at the free throw line in the opening stanza, but took advantage of the 15 BSU miscues to hold a 16-6 edge in points off turnovers. The Bears connected on 60% (15-25) of their field goal attempts in the first half, but made one field goal and took just five shots over the final 11 minutes.
UMass carried the momentum into the second half and outscored the Bears 20-6 during a ten-minute stretch to open up a 15-point lead (62-47). Seven different players scored for the Corsairs during the run led by six from Obiora and four apiece by Ashworth and Andrews. UMass would maintain the double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
The Corsairs outrebounded the Bears 41-30 for the game, including a 21-6 advantage on the offensive glass. UMass also forced 29 turnovers thanks in large part to 17 steals. The visitors finished with a decided edge in second chance points (20-6) and points off turnovers (31-17).
Bridgewater State shot 53% (28-53) for the game, but could not overcome the 29 turnovers as well as the struggles on the glass. The Bears also went 2-for-10 from behind the arc and did not make any three-pointers in the second half.
UMass connected on 30 of 69 field goals attempts (44%) and went 13-for-22 (59%) from the free throw line. The Corsairs took 16 more shots than the Bears and attempted 13 more free throws.
Both teams are back in action on Saturday afternoon. The Bears travel to Endicott College for a one o'clock game with the Gulls, while the Corsairs travel to Little East Conference rival Keene State College to take on the Owls at three.