BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Junior forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) posted a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a 73-61 non-conference win over UMass Boston on Thursday evening at the Tinsley Center.
Lofton, who finished 7-for-12 from the floor, also added two assists, three blocks and two steals. Senior guard Brendan Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in 18 points for the Bears (9-7) who have won four straight games and eight of their last ten.
Junior guard Barrett Murphy (Marshfield, Mass.) scored 13 points off the bench as he connected on 4 of 5 three-pointers. Junior forward Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.) added ten points, seven boards, four assists, two blocks and three steals.
Sophomore forward Selim Omerovic (Saugus, Mass.) paced the Beacons with a double-double as he scored 11 points and grabbed 11 boards. Junior guard Quadry Allen (White Castle, La.) and junior guard Luc Ulysse (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 11 and ten points off the bench, respectively, while junior forward Carl Joseph(Brockton, Mass.) tallied ten points, four rebounds and four blocks.
Leading 19-12 with 8:24 remaining in the first half, Murphy and Monteiro combined to hit back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to open up a 16-point advantage (28-12). That lead, however, would quickly dissipate moments later as the Beacons ended the half with a 12-2 run to make the score 32-28 in favor of the Bears as the teams headed to the locker-room.
Bridgewater used a 14-2 run over the first four minutes of the second half to completely take control of the game. The Bears were not seriously threatened the rest of the way as they got up by as many as 19 points on two separate occasions and coasted to the 73-61 victory.
The Bears shot 43% (25-58) from the floor and 45% (9-20) from three-point range, while limiting the Beacons to 38% (24-64) shooting including just 5-for-20 (25% from behind the arc. UMass held a 44-39 rebounding advantage with a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass.
The conference schedule resumes for both teams on Saturday afternoon. Bridgewater travels to Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rival Worcester State University to take on the Lancers at three, while UMass entertains Little East Conference foe Western Connecticut State University also at three.
Notes: With his 18 points, Monteiro increased his career total to 948. He has 459 points in two season at BSU and tallied 489 points in two seasons at Wentworth (2008-2010).