Bridgewater, Mass. – Nick DaPrato (Marshfield, Mass.) hit the go-ahead basket with eight seconds left and Clark University knocked off host Bridgewater State, 72-70, in an entertaining matchup in the first game of the BSU Bears Invitational on Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars have now won back-to-back games to improve to 2-1 overall and will play for the tournament title on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. against either Medger Evers College or Middlebury College.

For the Bears, who came into the contest averaging 95 points per game, they slip to 1-2 and will await the loser of today's second game. That matchup will take place on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

Four different players reached the 20 point plateau in the contest with Clark's Andrew Musler (Belmont, Mass.) and Bridgewater State's Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) sharing game-high honors with 25 points each.

The Cougars led the entire game with the exception of a brief Bear advantage of 22-21 late in the first half.

Bridgewater State hung close, however, as Lofton continually got inside for easy hoops. After Patrick McGuinness (New City, N.Y.) connected on a game-tying three pointer with a little more than eight minutes left, the Bears looked poised to take the lead.

Clark responded with a 9-0 run that pushed their advantage to 68-59 as Musler got loose for a jumper and then drilled a rightside triple.

Another Musler hoop with just under four minutes left to play gave the visitors a seven point cushion at 70-63, but BSU freshman Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) nailed a three-pointer and added a short jumper to slice into the deficit.

Lofton then tied the game at 70-70 when he scored inside following a Justin Clark (Yarmouth Port, Mass.) steal with 1:41 to play.

The Bears had a chance to win the game in the waning seconds but McGuinness' leaning triple try was a little long and Lofton's rebound and fall away shot from just below the foul line hit the front of the rim as time expired.

Led by DaPrato (9-for-18) and Musler (10-for-14), who combined to go 19-for-32 from the field, the Cougars shot a season-best 53 percent from the floor and held a 38-27 edge on the glass.

Vuk Baletic (Belgrade, Serbia) and Corey Gomes (Uxbridge, Mass.) each provided huge lifts off the bench for the Scarlet and White, combining for 13 points, five rebounds and three assists while making five of their seven field goal attempts.

In addition to his 25 points, Musler added a game-high seven rebounds and a pair of blocks, while DaPrato collected four rebounds and three assists to his stat line.

Lofton was spectacular for the Bears, shooting 10-for-13 from the field, while finishing with seven rebounds and a game-best five assists. His running mate, Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.), totaled 20 points and five rebounds in a game-high 37 minutes.