Men's Basketball Falls to Salem State, 95-73

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Graduate guard Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) recorded a triple-double to lead the Salem State University men's basketball team to a 95-73 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Bridgewater State University on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium.

The game marked the MASCAC opener for the Vikings who improve to 5-7 on the season and 1-0 in the MASCAC. The Bears fall to 3-10 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Bryan tallied game highs of 21 points, 12 rebounds (three offensive) and 13 assists to go along with a game-best five steals as well as two blocked shots.

Four other players scored in double figures for Salem State including senior forward Jarret Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) who posted a double-double with 19 points and ten boards (three offensive). Senior forward Chris MacDonald (Wakefield, Mass.) and sophomore guard Josiah Green (Springfield, Mass.) added 15 points and 14 points, respectively, for the Vikings, while freshman guard Juvens Louis (Everett, Mass.) notched 13 points, four rebounds and three steals in 17 minutes off the bench.

Junior forward Stanley Pierre-Louis (Roxbury, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with a career-high 16 points to go along with five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Sophomore forward Keyth Key (Springfield, Mass.) checked in with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bears, while graduate guard Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.) recorded 11 points, eight rebounds and a team-best six assists. Freshman guard Quinton Champagne (Wrentham, Mass.) added 12 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.

The Bears scored the first 12 points of the game, made eight of their first 11 shots and held a 16-3 lead 4 ½ minutes into the contest. Wetterlind and Pierre-Louis each scored six points during the game-opening 12-0 run.

The Vikings answered with an 8-0 run to get right back into the game and cut the deficit to five (16-11). Green started the spurt with a layup and capped it off with a pair of free throws. The Vikings would continue to climb their way back and knotted the score at 23-23 on a Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, Mass.) layup at the ten-minute mark and took their first lead of the contest moments later on a Byrne jumper.

Salem got up by as many as seven points on three occasions throughout the remainder of the first half and took a 43-39 lead into the break. The Vikings shot 44% (18-41) from the floor over the first 20 minutes and went 5-for-14 (36%) from behind the arc.

After the starting the game 8-for-11 from the floor, the Bears connected on just 9 of 29 field goal attempts over the final 15 ½ minutes of the first half. Bridgewater shot 43% (17-40) for the period and went 3-for-13 (23%) from three-point range.

Green paced the Vikings with 12 first-half points, while MacDonald notched ten. Wetterlind and Champagane tallied ten points apiece for the Bears in the opening stanza.

Bridgewater State rallied to start the second half and took a 53-51 lead following a David Laine (Bourne, Mass.) three-pointer with 15:34 left to play. After a Byrne bucket, Key dropped in a layup to put the Bears back on top, 55-53. The rest of the half, however, belonged to Salem State. The Vikings poured in 42 points over the final 14 1/3 minutes and used a 20-5 run to open up a double-digit advantage. The final score of 95-73 marked Salem's largest lead of the game.

The Vikings shot 47% (39-83) for the game and finished 11-for-31 (36%) from three-point range and 6-for-7 (86%) at the free throw line. The Bears connected on 41% (31-75) of their field goal attempts on the afternoon and went 7-for-24 (29%) from behind the arc and just 4-for-10 (40%) at the charity stripe.

Salem held a 50-42 rebounding advantage with a 17-14 edge on the offensive glass. The Viking defense forced 19 turnovers.

The Vikings entertain Westfield State University on Wednesday (Jan. 12) night at seven, while the Bears are off until Wednesday, January 19th when the travel to Westfield State for a 7:30 game with the Owls.