SALEM, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University men's basketball team opened Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play with a 96-82 victory over Salem State University on Wednesday night at Twohig Gymnasium.

The Bears improve to 5-8 (1-0 MASCAC) on the season while the host Vikings fall to 6-6 (0-1 MASCAC).

Five players finished in double-figure scoring for the Bears led by a game-high 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting from graduate center and reigning MASCAC Player of the Week, Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.). Halbleib was also a perfect 3-for-3 at the free throw line and added nine rebounds (three offensive), two assists and one blocked shot.

Freshman guard Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.) and sophomore guard Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) checked in with 15 points apiece for the visitors. Kikuba filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, three steals and a game-best seven assists.

Senior guard Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.) contributed 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench for the Bears as he went 3-for-5 from behind the arc. Freshman forward and reigning MASCAC Rookie of the Week, Josh Campbell (Plymouth, Mass.), rounded out the BSU double-digit point producers with 11 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks.

Bridgewater used a 13-1 run, highlighted by seven points from Halbleib, to turn an early 15-11 first-half deficit into a 24-16 lead.  A 15-3 spurt later in the period helped the Bears open up a double-digit advantage (41-24) with 6:42 remaining in the period. Junior guard Tyler Uyemura (Kersey, Colo.) jumpstarted the run with a three-pointer while a Precious Okoh (Sr., Brockton, Mass.) trifecta capped it off. Halbleib, who scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half, added six points during the run. The BSU lead would balloon to 24 points (56-32) heading into the break.

The Bears maintained the double-digit throughout the second half and were never seriously threatened. Bridgewater got up by as many as 27 points (66-39) early in the final stanza and led 93-67 with less than six minutes left to play. The Vikings outscored the Bears 15-3 over the final 5 ½ minutes of the contest to account for the final tally of 96-82.

Sophomore guard Will Martinez (Revere, Mass.) notched 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting to lead the way for the hosts. Martinez was a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range and checked in with three rebounds and a pair of steals. Senior guard Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, Mass.) added 15 points for the Vikings while sophomore guard Burke Kennedy (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench and junior forward Michael Makiej (Andover, Mass.) tallied ten points and seven rebounds.

Bridgewater shot 50.7% (35-69) for the game and went 7-for-18 (38.9%) from behind the arc and 19-for-26 (73.1%) at the free throw line.

Salem converted on 9 of 22 (40.9%) three-point attempts but went just 22-for-53 (41.5%) from inside the arc and 11-for-23 (47.8%) at the free throw line.

The Bears outscored the Vikings 52-36 in the paint and held a 51-36 rebounding advantage. Bridgewater also finished with an 18-7 edge in second chance points.

The MASCAC schedule continues on Saturday as the Bears entertain Framingham State University at noon. The Vikings are off until next Wednesday when they travel to Framingham State to take on the Rams at 5:30.

Notes: The Bears have won three straight over the Vikings…Salem holds a 95-38 advantage in the all-time series.