Junior guard Tony Barros (Pembroke, MA) scored 21 points in the game for the Beacons, as he became just the 11th player in UMass-Boston men’s basketball history to reach the 1,000 points milestone. Barros, who now has 1,014 points in just three seasons at UMass, reached the milestone when he knocked home a three-pointer with 7:08 remaining in the second half.
With the score tied at 65-65 late in the second half, Barros buried a three-pointer to give the Beacons the 68-65 lead. That lead was short-lived however as BSC junior guard Adam Rose (Harwich, MA) answered with a trifecta to tie the game up with 1:45 left on the clock. On UMass’ next possession, Barros came right back with his fourth three-pointer of the game with 1:20 remaining in regulation to reclaim the lead for the Beacons, 71-68.
Bridgewater State sophomore guard Tom Cuddihy (Scituate, MA) then hit back-to-back driving lay-ups to put the Bears up 72-71 with 31 seconds to go. After a UMass turnover, Rose connected on a pair of free throws to put BSC up by three, 74-71, with only 9.1 seconds remaining. That would set the stage for Titus who, coming out of a Bridgewater timeout, promptly dribbled up the court, pulled up unguarded behind the three-point arc and buried the game-tying shot.
In the overtime, UMass outscored the Bears 11-5, as the Beacons took advantage of some costly BSC turnovers and missed free throws. Bridgewater connected on just 2-of-5 free throw attempts in OT.
UMass sophomore guard Amigo Paniagua (Santiago, DR) finished with 18 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds, while senior forward James Hall (Jacksonville, FL) and freshman center Rodney Bennett (Boston, MA) both posted double-doubles. Hall scored 15 points and added 13 boards, while Bennett finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds.
For Bridgewater State, Cuddihy finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with 6 assists. Rose registered 16 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. Junior center Derek Thompson (Hyannis, MA) scored16 points and pulled down 7 rebounds, while junior forward Tyler Lang (Franklin, MA) added 12 points and 8 boards.
The Bears are back in action next Tuesday night as they travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on MASCAC rival Worcester State College. Tip-Off is scheduled for 8 PM. UMass returns home on Saturday as they host Little East Conference foe Eastern Connecticut State University at 3 PM.
Newspaper Box Score UMass-Boston vs Bridgewater State College 01/19/06 8:00 PM at Bridgewater, MA (Tinsley Center) UMASS-BOSTON 85, BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE 79 UMASS-BOSTON (9-6) Tony Barros 6-12 5-8 21; Amigo Paniagua 7-18 4-5 18; James L. Hall 7-12 0-0 15; Rodney Bennett 5-6 2-3 12; Eric T. Bateman 3-6 0-0 7; A.J. Titus 2-5 0-0 6; Mark Doran 1-5 2-2 4; Charles Yuan 1-1 0-0 2; Tommy Howe 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 32-68 13-18 85. BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE (7-7) Tom Cuddihy 8-18 1-1 18; Adam Rose 4-6 5-6 16; Derek Thompson 4-6 8-12 16; Tyler Lang 5-8 1-1 12; Cliff Furtado 3-10 0-0 7; David Rukstalis 2-8 0-0 4; Roland Millien 1-5 2-4 4; Ryan Devereaux 1-3 0-0 2; Damian Shakespeare 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-64 17-24 79. UMass-Boston.................. 32 42 11 - 85 Bridgewater State College..... 34 40 5 - 79 3-point goals-UMass-Boston 8-22 (Tony Barros 4-9; A.J. Titus 2-3; James L. Hall 1-1; Eric T. Bateman 1-2; Tommy Howe 0-2; Mark Doran 0-3; Amigo Paniagua 0-2), Bridgewater State College 6-18 (Adam Rose 3-4; Tyler Lang 1-2; Tom Cuddihy 1-8; Cliff Furtado 1-3; Ryan Devereaux 0-1). Fouled out--UMass-Boston-None, Bridgewater State College-None. Rebounds-UMass-Boston 42 (James L. Hall 13), Bridgewater State College 36 (Tyler Lang 8). Assists-UMass-Boston 18 (Amigo Paniagua 8), Bridgewater State College 17 (Tom Cuddihy 6). Total fouls-UMass-Boston 22, Bridgewater State College 15. A-350