Bridgewater jumped out to a 20-11 following a three-pointer by senior David Rukstalis (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) at the 12:21 mark of the first half, but Mount Ida exploded for nine consecutive points over the next 2:14 to take a 21-20 lead. The Bears answered an 18-7 run to open up a ten point advantage (38-28) with 3:12 remaining in the half, and Mount Ida closed the first frame with a 7-0 run to cut the margin to 38-35 at the half.
Senior Scott Chamberlain (Millis, Mass./Millis) converted a layup on the Mustangs first possession of the second frame to slice the deficit to a single point. It was as close as Mount Ida would get though, as the Bears outscored the hosts 55-36 behind 54.3-percent shooting (19-for-35) over the final 19:53 to secure the victory.
Junior Derek Thompson (Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable) finished the night with 20 points and a team-best nine rebounds. He shot 6-of-9 from the floor and converted 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Rukstalis netted 18 points and collected five boards, while juniors Adam Rose (Harwich, Mass./Harwich) and Cliff Furtado (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) rounded out Bridgewater’s double-digit scorers with 11 and ten points respectively. Led by sophomore Matt Scnider’s (Rockland, Mass./Rockland) seven helpers, the Bears tallied 24 assists on 34 made baskets.
Mount Ida received a spark from junior Andreas Vasiliu (Newton, Mass./Newton North), who came off the bench to score 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor. He knocked in 4-of-7 from behind the arc, as the Mustangs shot 44.6-percent from the floor for the game. Freshman Andy McCoo (Penacook, N.H./Merrimack Valley) was next with 15 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Otis Thompson (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) registered 12 points and a club-high nine rebounds. Chamberlain ended with ten points (eight second half), six boards and two blocks, and sophomore Mike Dunham (Salem, N.H./Salem) dished out four assists to lead the hosts.
Mount Ida (0-4, 0-0 NAC) continues its two-game homestand with an out-of-league tilt versus Eastern Nazarene College on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. Bridgewater (3-1, 0-0 MASCAC) will also be in action on Tuesday, when it travels to UMass-Dartmouth for a non-conference battle tipping off at 7:00 p.m.