Lofton's Double-Double Leads Men's Hoops to 87-85 MASCAC Win Over Salem

SALEM, Mass. -- Senior forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) posted a double-double with 27 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to an 87-85 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Salem State University on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium.

The Bears, who improve to 12-6 on the season and 5-1 in the MASCAC, extended their winning streak to five games.  The host Vikings slip to 10-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

Lofton connected on 11 of 19 field goal attempts while five of his game-high 14 rebounds came off the offensive glass.  He also added four assists, two blocked shots and four steals.

Senior guard Justin Clark (Yarmouth Port, Mass.) added 16 points for the Bears on 6 of 10 shooting including 4-for-7 from three-point range.  Senior forward Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass.) chipped in with 15 points and four rebounds, while freshman guard Rocky DeAndrade (Mansfield, Mass.) tallied eight points in 15 minutes off the bench.

Anthony Hodges (Worcester, Mass.) led the Vikings through the first half with 10 points as Salem State went up early holding a 22-20 lead up until the 9:27 mark. Lofton gave Bridgewater State their first lead of the game, 23-22, with a made free throw as the lead changed hands seven times as the teams traded baskets back and forth.

A made three-pointer from junior guard Tyler DeMelo (East Freetown, Mass.) gave the Bears a 30-28 advantage with five minutes remaining. DeMelo and Clark led the way for Bridgewater State as they combined for 14 points in the half. Salem State took advantage of mistakes made by the Bears as they converted 13 points off of eight BSU turnovers. The Vikings entered the half atop 38-35.

The intensity picked up immediately in the second half as Lofton tied the game at 47-47 at the 17:06 mark with a power put-back dunk over the Vikings' defense. Lofton went off for 21 points in the second half as he took advantage of the undersized SSU defense.

With the tough matchup underneath with Lofton, Salem State struggled with closing out on the Bears' shooters as Clark added 11 points in the half, including three three-pointers.

However, the Vikings regained the momentum and energized the crowd after a thundering put-back dunk by freshmen forward Drew Healy (Lowell, Mass.) that brought Salem State to within two with 12:24 remaining. Freshmen guard Shaquan Murray (Boston, Mass.) motivated his team with his outstanding effort late in the second half as he contributed with 15 points off the bench.

With the focus on Lofton, Clark was busy knocking down trifectas including three's on back-to-back possessions to push the BSU lead to 79-72 with 3:24 on the clock.

With time winding down, senior guard Bryan Ortiz (Salem, Mass.) kept the Vikings alive with a desperation three that brought Salem State to within three, 85-82, with twenty seconds left. After Lofton made two free throws following an intentional foul, the Vikings marched down the court with just seconds left when senior guard Nicholas Grassa (Lynn, Mass.) knocked down a clutch three-pointer to bring the game to 87-85 in favor of the Bears.

On the ensuing possession, Bridgewater State was whistled for a five-second violation giving the ball back to Salem State with three seconds on the clock. With no timeouts and forced to inbound the ball, Healy's mid-range jumper came up short and the Bears hung on for the 87-85 victory.

The Vikings had six players score in double digits, led by Ortiz who finished with 17 points. Healy added 12 points off the bench, while Grassa and senior guard Hamed Akanni (Fitchburg, Mass.) finished with 14 apiece.

The Bears shot 53% (33-62) from the floor including 7-for-14 (50%) from behind the arc.  The Vikings also connected on 53% (32-61) of their field goal attempts with a 7-for-20 (35%) mark from three-point range.

Bridgewater held a 35-30 rebounding advantage with an 11-8 edge in offensive boards. Points in the paint (40-36) and second chance points (15-6) also favored the Bears, while the Vikings had a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

The game featured five ties and nine lead changes.

MCLA is up next on the schedule for both teams. The Vikings will test the Trailblazers first on January 27th at 7:30 p.m., while the Bears will host MCLA on January 31st for a 3:00 p.m. tip-off.

Notes: The double-double marked Lofton's seventh of the season and 34th of his career....With his 27 points, Lofton increased his career total to 1,311 as he moved past Peter Santos (1,302 pts.) into 12th place on the Bears' all-time scoring list.