Salem State Wins at Westfield State 78-70
1/16/2010 6:44:42 PM
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Junior guard Nick Linear (Salem) posted game highs of 23 points and seven steals to lead Salem State to a 78-70 victory over Westfield State in MASCAC men’s basketball Saturday, Jan. 16.
Salem’s overall record is only 3-11 but the Vikings improved to 2-0 in the MASCAC. Westfield is 8-8 and 1-2.
Linear’s long-range shooting kept the Vikings in the game in the first half and sparked them in the second half. Linear did not start and only played 21 minutes but he pumped in 5 of 6 attempts from 3-point range.
Westfield led early 8-2 as freshman center Matt Devine (Pembroke) scored the Owls’ first eight points. Linear came off the bench to can three consecutive treys, the last one tying the score at 15-all at the 12:32 mark.
But backed by a strong defensive effort and its fast-break, Westfield built a 10-point lead with 5:35 remaining. Joe Dicruttalo capped the surge with a conventional 3-point play. Canning six straight free throws in the final two minutes of the first half, Salem cut the Westfield lead to two, 38-36, at the intermission.
In the second half the Vikings were led by the long-range shooting of Linear, freshman guard Tavone Wynder (Boston/Newton South) and sophomore guard Dan Clark (Deerfield/Frontier Regional). Salem only shot 36 percent from the field, but it was 12-for-25 from beyond the arc, including a sizzling 7-for-11 in the second half. The Owls, meanwhile, were 4-for-17 from 3-point range and 12-for-23 from the foul line.
Clark canned a three-ball to give the Vikings a 43-40 lead at the 17:56 mark of the second half. Wynder drained two treys for a 54-47 advantage three minutes later. Salem’s biggest lead was 13 points, 71-58, following a 3-pointer by Linear with 5:44 remaining.
Salem capitalized on Westfield miscues as the Vikings scored 36 points off 25 Westfield turnovers. Westfield out-rebounded Salem, 45-41, but the Vikings won the offensive glass, 20-12.
Ten players scored for Salem with Wynder the only other player in double figures with 16 points. Clark scored nine points and Terry Carter (Revere/Notre Dame Prep) contributed seven points and 10 rebounds.
Dicruttalo scored team-high 16 for Westfield, while Devine had another solid all-around game with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.