Price-Espada Scores 28, Owls Pull Away from Vikings 97-85

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Senior guard Angel Price-Espada (Cambridge, Mass.) torched Salem State with a game-high 28 points as the Owls picked up a 97-85 victory over the Vikings in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game from Twohig Gymnasium in Salem, Mass. on Wednesday evening.

In a game featuring six of the top seven scorers in the MASCAC, the Owls reclaimed sole possession of first place in the conference standings, improving to 5-1 in the league and 15-4 overall. The Vikings drop to 4-2 in the conference and 7-12 on the season.

Price-Espada steadied Westfield in the first half, tallying 17 first half points including the final 12 points for the Owls, giving Westfield a five-point lead entering the break. Both teams shot 50 percent or higher from the floor with the Owls at 53.9 percent and the Vikings at 50 percent. Senior Timmy Jacobus (Willemstad, Curacao) picked up the slack on the boards, grabbing ten rebounds in the first half with the Owls dealing with foul trouble in the frontcourt in the early stages.

In the second half, the Owls would build a double digit lead by using defense and pressure to generate turnovers. Lid Moreland (Bridgeport, Conn.) began the push, leaping at halfcourt for a one-handed interception before dishing a pass back to Jacobus who finished with a layup to make it a 54-47 Owls lead 1:36 into the half.

Salem cut the deficit to two points after a pair of free throws from Omri Merryman (Lynn, Mass.), forcing an Owls timeout. Out of the stoppage, Westfield would respond with a 9-0 scoring run starting with a layup from Xavier Lewis (Long Island, N.Y.). Moreland made a free throw on the next possession, then after a missed triple from the Vikings, Kenneth Rogers, Jr. (Springfield, Mass.) drove to the rim, drawing two defenders where he would swing the ball to the corner to a wide-open Lewis who stuck the corner three to open up a 60-52 lead with 16:14 remaining in the game.

The Owls then forced consecutive turnovers which resulted in trips to the charity stripe with Eric Johnson (Houston, Texas) converting two at the line to drive the lead into double digits at 63-52 with 14:48 left.

Westfield's lead climbed to 14 points later in the half. Price-Espada found a cutting Johnson on the baseline who hammered home a dunk, then consecutive Vikings turnovers resulted in baskets from Moreland and Price-Espada, capping an extended 15-3 run to make it a 69-55 Owls lead with 13:38 left.

With seven minutes to go in the game, Salem cut the deficit into single digits after a three-pointer from Merryman, then after a baseline jumper from Price-Espada, Tyrese Rho (Boston, Mass.) scored through contact at the rim, putting the score at 79-73 with 6:26 remaining in the game.

Both teams traded baskets on the ensuing possessions with Jacobus answering on the other end with a straightaway three followed by another three-point play from Rho on the other end with the Owls still up six.

With 3:15 left in the game, Price-Espada scored a layup at the rim to push the lead back to nine points, then two makes at the line from Lewis extended the lead back into double figures at 91-80 with 2:30 to go. The Vikings made one last push inside the final two minutes, stringing together five straight points after a layup from LJ Hicks (Gardner, Mass.) and a three from Merryman trimmed the Westfield advantage to 91-85 with 1:52 to play.

Moreland sealed the win for the Owls on the next possession, receiving a half court pass before slicing to the basket and scoring at the rim, drawing a foul and making the free throw to up the lead to nine.

Moreland (19 points) and Jacobus (12 points) joined Price-Espada in double figures on the night with Jacobus finishing with a team-leading 13 rebounds.

Rho led the Vikings with 24 points on an efficient 7-11 shooting effort. Merryman added 21 points, knocking down three triples. Liam Bryne (Melrose, Mass.), the MASCAC's leading rebounder, hauled in 17 rebounds and chipped in 12 points.

The Owls shot efficiently as a team on the evening, shooting 52.4 percent (33-63) from the field while consistently getting to the free throw line, holding a plus ten advantage from the stripe. Westfield also held sizeable margins in several other statistical categories, totaling 27 points off turnovers to Salem's seven points. Westfield held a lopsided advantage in points off the bench, piling up 42 points to the Vikings seven.

Westfield State will remain on the road for their next game as the Owls visit Framingham State to begin the second half of the conference slate on Saturday at 12:00 P.M.