Salem State College Athletics

Salem, Mass -- Salem State honored its all-time leading scorer before the game, then a put forth a stifling defensive effort, as the Vikings overwhelmed Westfield State 86-63 Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium.

Led by a suffocating full-court press and a deep bench, the Vikings (7-13, 6-2 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference) wore out the Owls early in the game, and Westfield State was unable to catch up. Ten different Vikings played 10 minutes, and 12 of the 14 who played got in the scoring column. Brian Clark (Deerfield, MA) led the way with 17 points, while Nate Simpson (Lowell, MA) added 15 and a game-high 11 rebounds. Westfield State (9-13, 2-7) was led by Matt Devine (Pembroke, MA), who finished with 10 points, and Charlie Rucker (Lynn, MA), who had nine.

Prior to the game, the Viking program retired the jersey of John Galaris '67, who scored over 2,400 points during his remarkable career.

The Vikings were in control from the opening tip. They never trailed, and jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first three minutes. After Westfield State had trimmed the deficit to one, 12-11, the SSC defense held the Owls without a field goal over an eight-minute stretch. Salem State went on an 18-3 run during that time, and was never threatened again.

Clark began the assault with a ferocious dunk following an Wynder miss. Wynder then took over, scoring six of the Vikings next 10 points to boost the lead to 23-13. When Derek Leab (Shrewsbury, MA) finally converted a layup with 4:29 remaining, SSC's lead was 30-16, and the rout was on. Dan Clark (Deerfield, MA) scored five straight points late in the first half to give the Vikings a 44-21 edge, and they went into the halftime locker room leading 48-23.

The first-half Viking attack was balanced and complete. Ten different players scored in the first 20 minutes, led by Brian Clark's 11 points. Salem State dominated the boards 29-15, and the defense forced 10 Owl turnovers. SSC shot 53% (20-38) from the field, while Westfield State was a paltry 23% (7-30).

Salem State did not let up in the second half, keeping the lead at 20 points or more throughout. The Vikings' largest lead was 29 (70-41), and they never led by less than 20. The Vikings shot 41.6% for the game, and finished with a 58-40 advantage on the glass. Westfield State was held to 33.3% from the floor and finished with 20 turnovers.

Salem State returns to action Tuesday night, when it attempts to hold on to second place in the MASCAC at Framingham State at 8 p.m.