The Bears will now await the winner of the Salem State/Worcester State semifinal game which will be decided later on tonight. The championship game will be played at the highest remaining seed, and will take place at 3:00 on Saturday, February 28th.
Juniors Matt Badiali (Raynham, MA) and Chris Hayes (Weymouth, MA) led all scorers with 21 points apiece, while fellow junior Peter Santos (Fairhaven, MA) registered a double-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and added 6 assists to his credit.
Senior point guard Ryan Anderson (North Easton, MA) notched 7 assists, pushing his season total to 173, and breaking the Bridgewater State single-season record of 170, held by Steve Jantz, set back in 1975. Anderson is currently fifth in all of Division III in assists per game with 6.9
The Bears were firing on all cylinders, as they jumped out to a commanding 49-26 halftime lead, behind 14 first half points from Hayes, and 11 from Badiali and senior Billy Hymon (Brockton, MA). In the first half, Bridgewater shot 53% from the floor (18 of 34), while Westfield struggled, shooting 30% from the field, and a dismal 1-for-10 from behind the 3-point arc.
Westfield senior Rich Pyle (Brooklyn, NY) led the Owls with a double-double, dropping 12 points and ripping down 10 rebounds. Sophomore James Ogbunize (Springfield, MA) notched 10 points, adding 6 rebounds.
Newspaper Box Score Westfield State College vs Bridgewater State College 02/25/04 7:00 PM at Bridgewater, MA At Bridgewater, MA BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE 89, WESTFIELD STATE COLLEGE 62 WESTFIELD STATE COLLEGE (13-11) Rich Pyle 5-5 2-8 12; Ricky Ogboin 5-12 1-3 11; James Ogbunize 5-8 0-3 10; Ryan Goyette 4-8 1-2 9; Vaso Jaukovic 2-16 2-2 7; Gavin Illangakoon 2-8 2-2 7; Allen Murray 1-2 0-0 2; T.J. Baker 1-5 0-0 2; Bob Marvel 1-3 0-0 2; Sam Gardner 0-2 0-0 0; Joe Tomasini 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-70 8-20 62. BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE (13-12) Matt Badiali 7-15 4-4 21; Chris Hayes 8-13 5-6 21; Peter Santos 4-10 4-5 14; Billy Hymon 5-11 1-2 13; Ryan Anderson 3-5 2-4 8; David Rukstalis 3-5 0-0 6; Tim Ryan 2-3 0-0 4; Mike Rondeau 1-3 0-0 2; Jerry Richardson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-66 16-21 89. Westfield State College....... 26 36 - 62 Bridgewater State College..... 49 40 - 89 3-point goals-Westfield State College 2-15 (Gavin Illangakoon 1-3; Vaso Jaukovic 1-6; Ryan Goyette 0-2; T.J. Baker 0-2; Joe Tomasini 0-1; Ricky Ogboin 0-1), Bridgewater State College 7-19 (Matt Badiali 3-7; Peter Santos 2-6; Billy Hymon 2-5; Chris Hayes 0-1). Fouled out--Westfield State College-None, Bridgewater State College-None. Rebounds-Westfield State College 45 (Rich Pyle 10), Bridgewater State College 44 (Peter Santos 14). Assists-Westfield State College 13 (Ryan Goyette 4), Bridgewater State College 28 (Ryan Anderson 7). Total fouls-Westfield State College 15, Bridgewater State College 16. A-659