Men’s Basketball Holds on for 80-76 Win at Bridgewater State

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team took to the road for a MASCAC matchup with Bridgewater State at the Adrian Tinsley Center this evening. The Trailblazers came away with an 80-76 victory over the Bears. Both teams had four players finish with double-digit point totals, led by 31 by MCLA's Quentin Gittens, who improved on his career-high for the second straight game.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Wednesday, January 10, 2024
• Score: MCLA 80, Bridgewater State 76
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 7-7 (MASCAC 2-1) | Bridgewater State Bears 6-9 (MASCAC 2-1)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The teams traded baskets early, with neither team pulling too far away from the other in a first half that included eight lead changes and five ties. The game was tied as late as the 9:26 mark, and the final lead change of the half came with just over two minutes on the clock when JoJo Garcia hit a three-pointer to put the Trailblazers up 34-32. Layups by Quentin Gittens and Garcia in the last minute of the half set the half-time score at 38-32.
• MCLA held the lead for the entirety of the second half, building the lead to as many as 13 points with about six and a half minutes remaining on a Gittens layup. Bridgewater continued to fight and cut that lead back to only two points at 78-76 on a three from Precious Okoh with 36 seconds left in regulation. A pair of foul shots by Garcia with a second on the clock set the final tally at 80-76.
• Gittens finished with a game-high 31 points only four days after setting his previous career high with 30 points against Westfield State on January 6^th. Gittens also set another career-high, pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds.
• Garcia, Kumar Lewis, and Jaxen Potter joined Gittens in the double-digit point club, scoring 14, 11, and 11 points, respectively.
• The 11 points for Potter tied his career high set earlier this season at Plattsburg on December 9^th.
• Lewis also tied his career-high with those 11 points, equaling his tally against Elms College last season.
• The Bears had a quartet of double-digit scorers of their own, led by 16 points for Zach Taylor and 15 points from Dante Kikuba. Okoh and Emerson Halbleib each scored 13 points off the bench.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 30-68 / 44.1%, Bridgewater State 30-67 / 44.8 %
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 9-29 / 31%, Bridgewater State 6-16 / 37.5%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 11-14 / 78.6%, Bridgewater State 10-16 / 62.5%
• Rebounds: MCLA 41, Bridgewater State 38
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 7, Bridgewater State 13
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 13, Bridgewater State 6
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 28, Bridgewater State 44
• Bench Points: MCLA 11, Bridgewater State 32

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to Salem State for a MASCAC matchup with the Bears at the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. The teams will take the floor for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

STAY CONNECTED:

For the latest on MCLA Athletics, follow the Trailblazers via our social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter).