BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth head men's basketball coach Brian Baptiste achieved his 600^th career victory on Thursday evening, as the Corsairs completed a second-half comeback to overtake Bridgewater State on the road, 77-71. Baptiste becomes just the sixth active Division III men's basketball coach to reach the career milestone.

The Basics

Score: UMass Dartmouth 77, Bridgewater State 71

Records: UMass Dartmouth (3-2) | Bridgewater State (3-2)

How it Happened

UMass Dartmouth held a one-point advantage midway through the first half, when Bridgewater State opened up a 20-7 run over seven to gain a comfortable lead into the break. After the Bears extended the 11-point halftime lead to 13 early in the second, the Corsairs would respond with a resounding 18-3 run of their own including eight points by senior Abi Akanni (Fitchburg, Mass.) to overtake the lead for good.

With 8:39 left on the clock, senior Chris Mendes (Somerset, Mass.) sunk a 3-pointer to steal the advantage back. Classmate Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) scored the next four points, and junior Tucker Bouchard (Kingston, Mass.) connected from beyond the arc to give the Corsairs their highest lead of the game. UMass Dartmouth buried all eight of its final free throws in the last eight minutes, while the Bears could muster just 5-of-11 from the foul line in that span.

Inside the Numbers

• Baptiste's career record in just over 33 seasons at UMass Dartmouth now sits at 600-309 (.660 winning percentage). Amongst all-time Division III men's basketball head coaches, he is just the 14^th ever to reach the remarkable total.
• The victory is UMass Dartmouth's first win at Bridgewater State in 12 years and second-straight after defeating the Bears at home last season. The Corsairs are 36-18 all-time against the Bears.
• Akanni posted a game- and season-high 16 points, making all seven of his chances from the charity stripe. Additionally, Mendes and Robinson both went 4-for-4 on free throws.
• Sophomore Nick Portelance (Fairhaven, Mass.) hauled in a season-high 14 rebounds to go along with 10 points for his second double-double of the season.
• Freshman Mert Sert (Hoosac Falls, N.Y.) chipped in a career-high 10 points, while Robinson added 11 points to round out the Corsairs in double figures.
• The Corsairs shot a season-high 58 percent (7-of-12) from beyond the arc with six players tallying at least one 3-pointer.

Up Next

UMass Dartmouth opens up league play against unbeaten Keene State on Saturday, hosting the Owls for a 1 p.m. tip-off at the Tripp Center in a rematch of last season's Little East Conference Championship.