Strong Second Half Propels Salem State to 95-83 Victory Over Westfield State

SALEM, Mass. – Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) scored a season-high 37 points, including 20 second half points as the Vikings broke open a closely contested game late to defeat Westfield State 95-83 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup on Wednesday evening at Twohig Gymnasium.

Bryan went 6-for-7 (85.7%) from the floor and converted all six free throws after halftime as the Vikings improve to 6-7 on the year and 2-0 in  conference. The Owls go to 11-3 and slip to 1-1 in the MASCAC.

Connor Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) contributed on both ends with a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds while Josiah Green (Springfield, Mass.) and Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, Mass.) finished with 15 and 14 points respectively for Salem State, which shot 37-71 (52.2%) from the floor.

Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) paced Westfield State with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) and JT Thompson (Columbia, S.C.) each added 12 points while Kumar Brown (Enfield, Conn.) chipped in with 10 points and 11 boards.

Hamilton scored 13 first half points and his free throw gave Westfield State an early 18-12 lead. A Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) three pushed the lead to 30-22 with 5:48 remaining. However, seven consecutive points by Bryan brought the Vikings back to within two, 31-29. Trailing 36-31, the Vikings closed the half with a 9-4 spurt, as Bryan converted a contested three at the buzzer, tying the game at 40-all.

The Owls shot 17-36 (47.2%) in the first half, with Salem State connecting on 18-40 (45%) first half attempts.

Meesha Ohradka (Feeding Hills, Mass.) gave Westfield State its largest second half lead, 55-50 following a three-pointer.  A 14-5 run punctuated by a three from Green helped the Vikings to a 64-60 lead with 9:42 left. Jeremy Remigio found Thompson for a game tying alley-oop with 6:22 left as Westfield's State's guard was responsible for four easy conversions  by the Owl big men in the game.  Tied at 69-69 with 5:38 left, Bryan went to work, scoring five straight points, spearheading a 9-0 run with Conner Byrne contributing back-to-back baskets. Another three from Green, who went 3-6 (50.0%) from behind the arc, gave Salem State their first double-digit lead of the contest 83-73 as the Vikings closed out the game outscoring the Owls 26-14 to win 95-83.

The Vikings held a slim 43-41 rebounding advantage while shooting 19-31 (61.3%) from the field in the second half. The Owls ended the contest shooting 32-79 (40.5%).