BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) scored a game-high 23 points and senior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) tallied 20 to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to an 88-66 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 9-13 on the season and 6-4 in the MASCAC, while the Falcons fall to 8-15 overall and 2-8 in conference play. Bridgewater is 27-8 versus Fitchburg over the last 35 meetings of the two teams and 83-31 since 1960.

Carney connected on6 6 of 12 field goals, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc, and went 9-for-12 at the free throw line. He also registered eight rebounds and four assists.

Ward went 7-for-9 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. He also grabbed eight boards and blocked four shots.

Senior forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) added 15 points, two steals and four blocks for the Bears, while sophomore guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) contributed nine points and a game-best six assists.

Senior forward Jordan Jones (Worcester, Mass.) paced Fitchburg State with 16 points and seven rebounds (four offensive) in 14 minutes off the bench. Senior forward Charles Doss (Fitchburg, Mass.) checked in with 15 points and nine boards (five offensive) for the Falcons, while sophomore guard Devon Johnson (Washington, D.C.) notched 12 points and nine rebounds (four offensive).

The Bears used an 11-2 run, sparked by seven points off the bench from sophomore guard David Laine (Bourne, Mass.), to open up a double-digit advantage (28-16) midway through the first half. The Bears maintained at least a six-point lead throughout the rest of the stanza and took a 43-35 advantage into the break.

Carney scored 17 points over the first 20 minutes, while Ward added 11 for the Bears. Jones scored ten first-half points off the bench for the Falcons.

Bridgewater shot 54% (13-24) from the floor in the opening stanza and went 13-for-14 (93%) at the free throw line. Fitchburg connected on just 37% (11-30) of its first half field goal attempts, but knocked down 13 of 15 (87%) from the charity stripe.

After Doss dropped in a layup to open the second half, the Bears held the Falcons to just two field goals over the next 4 ½ minutes. Bridgewater's 16-4 run, capped off by a Ward alley-oop dunk, pushed the lead to 18 (59-41). The Bears would get up by as many as 26 points (78-52) in the stanza as they coasted to the 88-66 win.

Bridgewater shot 57% (30-53) from the game, including an impressive 9-for-17 (53%) from behind the arc. The Bears also converted 19 of 24 (79%) free throw attempts.

Fitchburg shot 35% from the floor (24-68) and just 1-for-12 (8%) from three-point range. The Falcons did, however, manage to go 17-for-20 (85%) at the stripe and finished with a 19-6 advantage in offensive rebounds.

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Wednesday night at eight o'clock. The Bears travel to Framingham State University, while the Falcons head to Worcester State University.

Notes: BSU Head Coach Joe Farroba recorded career victory #397….Carney (1,469 pts.) moved into ninth place on the Bears' all-time scoring list.