Owls Edge Out Vikings in Back-and-Forth Battle

WESTFIELD, Mass. – After a back-and-forth matchup, Salem State men's basketball fell to Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) opponent, Westfield State University, by a score of 86-81.

The Vikings saw a balanced night of scoring with Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, Mass.) leading all-scorers with 23 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five helpers. Chris MacDonald (Wakefield, Mass.) and Conner Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) added 22 and 13 points, respectively, with Byrne collecting 14 rebounds to give him a double-double in the effort.

For the Owls, Brendon Hamilton (Worcester, Mass.) spearheaded the charge with a near triple-double compiled of 17 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists, while Kuany Teng (Manchester, N.H.) exploded for 20 points off the bench in tonight's victory.  

How it Happened:

• Both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the game before an 8-0 Salem State run gave the Vikings a slight tilt (13-5) with 15:39 to play in the half.
• After holding onto the lead for nearly ten minutes, back-to-back jumpers from Westfield State brought the game to a 21-point stalemate with 8:06 to play in the first. The Vikings were able to hold a slight edge over the home team when Castillo put Salem back on top after connecting from behind the arc but, with 3:16 to play, the home team saw their first advantage of the game after a three of their own brought the game to 33-31. In the final three minutes of the half the Owls would outscore the Vikings 9-1 to go into the break with the 42-34 advantage.
• The Vikings wasted no time reclaiming the lead, coming out of the half scoring nine unanswered points to bring the score to 44-42 just two minutes into stanza. The next ten minutes of action saw the three different lead changes before the home team took the largest advantage of the half thusfar (six points) after they connected on a three to bring the game to 66-60 in their favor.  
• Over the next two minutes, the Vikings were able to string together seven unanswered points to take the one-point (67-66) edge over the Owls with 6:21 to play in the game. Two minutes later the Owls found themselves back in the driver's seat after consecutive trips to the free throw line put them up 71-69 with just under four minutes left.
• Over the final three minutes of the game, Westfield was able to hold onto the lead, only allowing Salem to get as close as five points before taking the eventual 86-81 MASCAC victory over the Vikings.