BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth men's basketball team downed Bridgewater State University, 129-82, on Wednesday night in non-conference action. The Corsairs improved to a 3-0 start on the season with the dominant road win over the Bears during their season home opener from Tinsley Center. It marks the highest points scored in a single game since the 2019-20 campaign when the Corsairs posted 119 points against Southern Maine on February 22.
The Corsairs got out to an early 8-0 lead in the opening four minutes of action featuring four points from first year guard
Mahdee McNair. Sophomore
Danny Reyes added his first bucket of the game followed by an and-one play from senior guard
Nic Boyd to put UMass Dartmouth ahead 13-5. Senior center
Cam Dunbury made an immediate impact on the game producing two big blocks and a three-point play for the Corsairs. Shortly after, sophomore
Camden DiChiara laid in his first bucket off the feed from Reyes to give UMass Dartmouth their first double-digit lead of the night.
Senior
Darius Peterson nailed a three-pointer after checking into the game followed by another triple from DiChiara to grab a 26-12 advantage approaching the midway point of the opening half. Shortly after first year guard
Strada Joseph posted four points for the Corsairs, Reyes knocked down a triple off the assist from senior center
Ryan Flauto to pull away with a 19-point lead. Boyd finished the first half strong scoring seven of the last 10 points for UMass Dartmouth to take a commanding 59-36 lead at halftime.
UMass Dartmouth picked up where the left in the second half going on a 14-2 run highlighted by nine straight points from McNair. Reyes finished a driving layup to give the Corsairs their largest lead of the night at 35 points. The Bears were able to string together seven points but Flauto answered with two free throws and layup to make it an 81-47 game. UMass Dartmouth capitalized from the free throw line nearing the final ten minutes of the contest to maintain a 30-plus point cushion over the Bears. DiChiara completed an and-one play on an 11-2 run to put triple-digits on the scoreboard.
The Corsairs continued to dominate on the attack with fast transition offense as Boyd finished a bucket in the paint to put UMass Dartmouth ahead 117-77. First year guard
Isaiah Makor checked in for the final four minutes of play, scoring the last 10 points for the Corsairs enroute to a dominant 129-82 road win at Bridgewater State.
The Corsairs shot an impressive 63.4 percent from the field (52-82) including 6-of-15 shots made from beyond the arc for a 40.0 three-point shooting percentage. UMass Dartmouth dominated under the hoop, scoring 92 of their 129 points from the paint while also capitalizing on turnovers with 33 points.
DiChiara posted a season-high 21 points after going 7-for-9 from the floor, 2-for-2 from long range and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. He also hauled in nine rebounds, dished out two assists, and made one block on the night. McNair also dropped 21 points for the Corsairs with a team-high 10-of-15 shots made from the field featuring on triple (1-3). The rookie guard recorded three boards, two assists, two steals, and a block in the win. Flauto recorded his third consecutive double-double for UMass Dartmouth with 18 points (7-8 FG, 4-4 FT) and 13 total rebounds including 10 defensive boards. He also posted four blocks, three assists, and a pair of steals.
Boyd notched his first career double-double with 16 total points (6-14 FG, 1-4 3FG, 3-3 FT) and a career-high 12 assists for the Corsairs. Dunbury also tallied 16 points (7-10 FG, 2-3 F) with seven rebounds and four blocks. Reyes finished the game with 15 points going 7-for-9 from the floor and 1-for-2 from behind the arc to go along with five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Makor recorded a season-high 10 points for UMass Dartmouth finishing 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Tuesday, November 18 playing at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference tilt.
