BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior center Samuel Johnson (North Chelmsford, Mass.) scored 19 points on 8 of 9 shooting to lead the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a 70-65 victory over visiting Salem State University in a matchup of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) rivals.
Bridgewater improves to 9-7 on the season and 4-1 in the MASCAC, while Salem slips to 10-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
Johnson also pulled down five rebounds for the Bears and notched a pair of steals. Senior guard Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, Mass.) added 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting while senior center Max Dolgin (Randolph, Mass.) came off the bench to register 11 points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals in just 17 minutes.
Trailing 18-9 midway through the first half, the Bears went on a 15-6 run to tie the game at 24-24 with 5:58 remaining in the opening stanza. After Salem reclaimed the lead on a layup by senior guard Dan Clark (Deerfield, Mass.), Bridgewater closed out the half with a 12-2 run to take a 36-28 lead into the intermission.
The Bears upped the advantage to as much as 11 points in the second half including a 54-43 lead with 9:26 left to play. Junior guard Justin Nieves (Lawrence, Mass.) then came off the bench for Salem and single-handedly outscored the Bears 10-2 over the next 2 ½ minutes to close the gap to three (56-53).
The game was close the rest of the way and Salem would eventually knot the score at 63-63 with under a minute to play on a basket by senior forward Brian Clark (Deerfield, Mass.). On the ensuing possession, Johnson dropped in a layup and was fouled with 22 seconds left. Johnson would miss the free throw, but freshman forward Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass.) grabbed the offensive board forcing the Vikings to foul. Ryser calmly drained both free throws to give BSU the 67-63 advantage. A Nieves driving layup made it a two-point game with eight seconds on the clock. A pair of free throws by Johnson and 1 of 2 by senior guard Nathan Miller (New Bedford, Mass.) closed out the scoring as the Bears came away with the 70-65 win.
Both teams shot the ball well with Bridgewater connecting on 56% (28-50) of their field goal attempts and Salem shooting 49% (26-53) from the floor. The Bears forced 19 Viking turnovers and converted them into 25 points.
Nieves finished with 14 points off the bench for Salem. Junior forward Nate Simpson (Lowell, Mass.) paced the Vikings with 15 points and six rebounds, while Brian Clark added 12 points.
In upcoming action, Bridgewater heads to MASCAC foe MCLA on Wednesday night (7:30), while Salem entertains Worcester State on Tuesday evening at 7:30.