Bridgewater State Holds Off Fitchburg State, 80-76

Valliere notches second consecutive double-double effort with 17 points and 15 rebounds

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (January 28, 2012) – The Fitchburg State men's basketball team suffered another close MASCAC loss this afternoon, falling to Bridgewater State University, 80-76 at the Tinsley Center.

Senior center Samuel Johnson (North Chelmsford, Mass.) notched a double-double with 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Bridgewater State offense, shooting 9-of- 17 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Junior guard Shawn Yard (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 points, four assists and four steals for the Bears, while senior forward Anthony Fortes (Providence, R.I.) notched ten points and nine boards. 

Fitchburg State received a solid effort from senior Donald Hunt (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) who scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting.  Junior Zach Valliere (Douglas, Mass./Douglas) posted a double-double with 17 points and 15 boards to go along with four blocks, while junior Brandon Selby (Baltimore, Md./Joppatowne) notched 15 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Fitchburg State erased a 47-39 halftime deficit with a 15-6 run over the first 6 1/2 minutes of the final stanza as the Falcons took a 54-53 lead, their first since an early 9-8 advantage. 

Trailing 74-69 with under three minutes remaining, the Bears notched four straight points on a pair of free throws by Fortes and a Johnson layup to pull to within one.  A jumper by Selby upped the Falcons' lead to three with 1:23 left on the clock, but a three from Yard down the other end knotted the score 76-76.

Following a Fitchburg State miss on the next possession, Yard drove in for a running layup to give Bridgewater State a 78-76 advantage with just 0:32 remaining. Johnson then sealed the contest for the Bears, knocking down a pair of free throws.

Bridgewater State shot 41% (28-69) for the game while Fitchburg State connected on 30-of-78 (39%) field goal attempts.  The Bears had a decided advantage at the free throw line making 27 trips to the charity stripe as opposed to just 11 for the Falcons, but Fitchburg State knocked down 8-of-16 three-pointers.

Fitchburg State (9-9, 1-6 MASCAC) will be back in action on Tuesday as it hosts Newbury College at 7 p.m. Bridgewater State (10-8, 5-2 MASCAC) will visit Framingham State on Tuesday at 8 p.m.