Men's Basketball Stunned by Salem, 88-87

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Appolos Wade's (Taunton, Mass.) running jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining in regulation capped off a dramatic comeback as the visiting Salem State University Vikings stunned Bridgewater State University, 88-87, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball contest on Tuesday night at the Tinley Center.

Salem, which erased an 18-point second half deficit, improves to 17-6 on the season and 10-1 in the MASCAC.  Bridgewater falls to 15-9 overall and 6-5 in conference play.

The Vikings used a 23-4 run beginning at the 9:34 mark of the second half to turn a 76-58 deficit into a one-point lead (81-80) with 3:48 remaining.  Junior guard Dan Clark (Deerfield, Mass.) scored 12 of his 17 points during the run which included three three-pointers.  The last of those trifectas tied the game at 80 and he knocked down a free throw to give Salem the lead moments later.

The Bears would regroup however as senior forward Judah Jackson (Everett, Mass.) answered with a jumper and sophomore guard Anthony Fortes (Providence, R.I.) followed with a layup to put Bridgewater back on top, 84-81, with 2:20 left to play.

Salem junior forward Brian Clark (Deerfield, Mass.) sank a pair of free throws, before BSU junior guard Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, Mass.) converted a driving layup to maintain the three-point lead for the Bears.

That would set the table for more heroics from Dan Clark as he drained the game-tying trey with 1:39 on the clock.  BSU senior forward Nicholas Motta (Fairhaven, Mass.) converted the front end of a one-on-one but missed the second.

Sophomore guard Tavone Wynder (Boston, Mass.) missed a potential go ahead three-pointer for the Vikings with 31 seconds left, but Bridgewater was unable to capitalize as the Bears missed on the front end of a one-on-one which would set the stage for Wade's game-winning shot.

Sophomore guard Justin Nieves (Lawrence, Mass.) paced the Vikings with a game-high 20 points to go along with five assists.  Brian Clark posted a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds, while Wade nearly missed a triple-double with ten points, nine boards and nine helpers.  Junior forward Tristian Shannon (Andover, Mass.) added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Motta led the Bears' effort with 17 points.  Jackson notched 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting, while senior center Samuel Johnson (North Chelmsford, Mass.) tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists.  Senior guard Corey Connor (Providence, R.I.) chipped in with 14 points as he connected on 6 of 7 field goals.  Fortes came off the bench to record 12 points and five boards.

Salem held a slim lead in total rebounds (33-32), but dominated the offensive glass by a 13-6 margin.  The Vikings outscored the Bears, 36-13, in points off turnovers and in second chance points, 18-3.

Bridgewater shot 63% from the floor for the game including a 22-for-32 clip (69%) in the opening stanza which helped give the Bears a 49-43 halftime lead.  The hosts only went to the free throw line nine times in the contest.

Prior to the game, the Bears honored seniors Connor, Jackson, Johnson and Motta as the quartet played in their final regular season home game.

The Bears will close out MASCAC play on Saturday when they travel to MCLA to take on the Trailblazers at 3 as BSU head coach, Joe Farroba, will be coaching in his 500th game. Salem hosts a non-conference affair with Lesley University on Thursday night at 7.