Salem, Mass. --  Bryan Ortiz (Salem, MA) scored 16 points to help the Vikings of Salem State cruise to a 76-51 victory over the Devils of Fairleigh Dickinson University- Florham Monday night at the Twohig Gymnasium in game two of the Salem State Holiday Classic. The Vikings' win propels them to a 6-4 record while the Devils slip to 1-9 on the season.The Vikings offense took an early lead that would be maintained throughout the entire first half. Salem State's offense was balanced as they shot 40% from the field and outscored the Devils 14-6 in the paint despite being outrebounded 26-22. Ortiz  led the Vikings with 10 points as he protected the ball well for Salem State turning the ball over zero times. Jon Perez (Weymouth, MA) contributed heavily to the Vikings' offense as he came off the bench scoring nine points in the half on 2-3 shooting from beyond the arc. When looking to score inside Salem State went to Hamed Akanni (Fitchburg, MA) who finished the half with eight points and five rebounds. Donte Ali (Willingboro, NJ) anchored Fairleigh Dickinson's offense with nine points including two free throws that brought the Devils to within five with fewer than 10 minutes remaining. The Vikings took their largest lead of the night when Perez knocked down another three-pointer that would give Salem State a 36-24 lead at halftime.
 
The Vikings 12-point lead at halftime would be the closest Fairleigh Dickinson would come to within Salem State all night. The Vikings built on their lead involving 11 different scorers led by Ortiz and Perez who combined for 30 points on 9-18 shooting. Salem State saw productivity from their big men as they spread the ball out to Drew Healy (Lowell, MA), Dan Connors (Danvers, MA), Marcus Faison (Cambridge, MA), Tariq Tate (Walpole, MA), Jared Butler (Boston, MA) and Akanni who combined for 27 points. In total, the Vikings outscored the Devils 22-14 in the paint, which was a major key in their victory. Fairleigh Dickinson's bench tallied 14 points while Salem State's bench contributed with 30 points. The Vikings took their largest lead of the night when Tate made a nice pass to Connors who was alone underneath the rim to finish a two-point play to give Salem State a 29-point advantage. The Vikings' went on to win 76-51.
 
The Vikings will face off against the Ephs of Williams College tomorrow in day two of the 2014 Salem State Holiday Classic. The game is set to start at 5:00 p.m. Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Fairleigh Dickinson will tip-off at 3:00 p.m. Williams College and WPI played earlier in the day and the Engineers came away with a dramatic 73-71 victory.