SALEM, Mass -- Brian Clark (Deerfield, MA) scored 23 points, including the go-ahead free throws in the final minute, as Salem State handed Bridgewater State its' first conference loss, 78-74 Tuesday night at Twohig Gymnasium.
The spirited contest featured 10 lead changes in the second half, as the Vikings improved to 10-14 on the season, 8-3 in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference. The Bears fell to 16-7, 10-1.
The Vikings can still finish as high as second-place in the league standings and earn a bye in the MASCAC Tournament next week. SSC is half a game behind Framingham State (9-3) for the second position. Bridgewater State has already clinched the league title, a first-round bye, and will host a semifinal game in the league tourney.
With Salem State nursing a 73-72 lead, Nate Simpson (Lowell, MA) had his inbounds pass intercepted by Judah Jackson (Everett, MA), who streaked down court for a layup to give the Bears a 74-73 advantage with one minute left. Clark was fouled on the ensuing possession, and calmly drained his two free throws - his only two charity-toss attempts of the game. Simpson hit another free throw to increase the lead to 76-74, then he stole a pass from Jackson, and hit two more free throws with five seconds left to account for the final score.
Jackson led all scorers with 29 points on 13-25 shooting. Clark was one of five Vikings in double figures, as Simpson finished with 15, Nick Linear (Salem, MA), and Tristian Shannon (Andover, MA) had 11 apiece, and Tavone Wynder (Boston, MA) added 10.
Five straight points by Shannon - including a conventional three-point play - gave the Vikings an eight-point bulge, 42-34, in the opening minutes of the second half. A 10-1 run by the Bears, led by two free throws and a hoop from Corey Connor (Providence, RI) propelled BSC back into the lead, 44-43, with 16 minutes remaining in the game.
Two Clark jumpers gave the Vikings a 48-44 lead, but a Jackson bucket and a Samuel Johnson (North Chelmsford, MA) dunk evened the score, as both teams battled back and forth.
SSC reclaimed a five-point lead, 57-52, with a 7-0 run fueled by Linear's rebound follow of a miss, but the Bears hung around, and drew to within two, 61-59, when Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, MA) drilled a three from the top of the key with 6:14 remaining. BSC edged back out in front, 64-63 when Ryser connected again, but two straight buckets by Clark and an acrobatic follow by Wynder gave the Vikings a 69-67 lead with 3:27 left.
Jackson knotted the score at 69 with a bucket in the paint, but four Wynder free throws put the Vikings ahead 73-69. Matt McLaughlin (Rochester, MA) hit a long three to cut the Viking lead to one, setting up to the frantic final minute.
Salem State dominated on the glass, out rebounding Bridgewater State 59-29. Terry Carter (revere, MA) led the Vikings with 11 boards, and Wynder added nine.
The sloppy first half featured 25 combined turnovers, as Bridgewater State held the lead for most of the period. The Bears seemed in control, taking a 27-19 lead after 7-2 spurt, fueled by an alley-oop dunk by Johnson, and a pair of athletic hoops by Jackson. The Vikings roared back, however, closing the half on an 18-4 run. Linear converted consecutive steals into fast-break layups to give the Vikings their first lead, 33-31 with two minutes remaining.
The Vikings gained tremendous momentum heading into the locker room, as Simpson converted a pair of free throws after Jackson was whistled for a technical foul, then ended the half with a layup at the buzzer. The 37-31 lead was the Vikings' largest of the half and resulted in large part because BSC missed 14 of its final 20 shots following a white-hot 8-11 start. Jackson (16 first half points) was the only Bear to score in the final 10 minutes of the half. Clark and Simpson led Salem State with 11 first half points apiece.