Trailblazers fall to Bears 71-70 after wild finish
North Adams, MA- Bridgewater State's Kyle Gibson drained a pair of free throws with 0.7 on the clock in overtime to propel the Bears past the MCLA Trailblazers 71-70 in a wild and frantic finish to the MASCAC opener for both clubs. The Bears improve to 7-5 overall while MCLA drops to 3-9.
The final minute was as frantic as could be. The Bears tied the game at 68 when Mike Lofton converted a pair from the line with 46 seconds left. MCLA failed to convert on the next possession and Lofton was fouled again, this time with 23 ticks left. He sank the first before missing the second giving MCLA a shot at the game winner.
Following a timeout, MCLA's Ruben DelRosario drained a turnaround jumper from the free throw line that appeared to win it for the Trailblazers. However there was 0.7 seconds left, and MCLA was whistled for a technical foul for leaving the bench area giving the Bears two free throws to win it.
Bridgewater sent senior Kyle Gibson to the stripe and calmly buried both to push the Bears to the 71-70 victory. Gibson was 15-16 from the line in the contest collecting a game high 21 points.
The Bears had a chance to win it in regulation. MCLA's Khalil Paul tied the game at 63 with a drive to the hoop and there were 14 seconds left. Gibson's last second shot was blocked by Dakari Hannah-Wornum sending the game into overtime.
In the second half and overtime, neither side led by more than four points and the contest featured 13 ties and four lead changes.
In the opening half, Bridgewater controlled play early and jumped out to an early twelve point lead at 18-6 with 12:24 left in the half. From there, MCLA began to chip away at the Bears. They went on a 9-0 run to get within 18-15 as the Bears missed seven straight shots allowing the Trailblazers to inch closer.
The Bears would extend back to a seven point lead at 22-15 on a Fawaz Mass drive, and then led again at 27-20 with 3:46 remaining. MCLA would then close the half by scoring the final eight points to grab a 28-27 halftime lead, their only lead of the night. Adam Conquest scored five points in the closing spurt, finishing with 11 in the half. MCLA held the Bears to just 31% from the floor in the opening twenty minutes. The Trailblazers weren't much better shooting just 33%.
Gibson was just 3-11 from the field, but did collect 6 rebounds to go with his 21 points. Lofton was tough all night filling the stat sheet with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists. Tyler DeMelo ended with 10 points. The Bears shot just 30% in the win.
For MCLA, Conquest finished with a team high 19 points. DelRosario finished with 12 points and Paul Maurice had 11. Hannah-Wornum finished with 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. The Trailblazers shot 40% in the game.
The Trailblazers will look to rebound when they host Worcester State on Saturday afternoon.