Junior forward Grant Cooper poured in a career-high 36 points vs. Salem. (File photo by David Fried)
SALEM – Jon Perez (Weymouth, MA) scored a team-high 20 points as Salem State University outlasted Westfield, 80-75, in overtime Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18. at the Twohig Gymnasium.
The Vikings remain undefeated in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference at 3-0, and improve to 10-5 on the season. The Owls fall to 1-2 in conference play and 8-7 overall.
Bryan Ortiz (Salem, MA) knocked down a long jumper that gave the Vikings’ momentum on offense and resulted in a quick 9-4 lead, forcing Westfield to call a timeout in the first few minutes.
Andrew White (Medford, MA) scored seven points along with four rebounds in the first half to match Westfield forward Grant Cooper’s (Northampton, MA) 13 points and seven rebounds. The Owls went on a 9-2 run midway through the half that gave Westfield State a 22-16 lead. Both teams played solid defense, scoring a combined 15 points in the final 11 minutes. The Owls entered the second half with a 28-24 lead over the Vikings.
The Owls started strong in the second half. A Cooper free throw gave Westfield State its largest lead of the game (11 points) with 12:32 left to play.
Nicholas Grassa (Lynn, MA) started a 13-5 run which brought the Vikings to within three. Perez knocked down a clutch three-pointer in the corner after a broken down play to tie the game at 53.
Salem State took its first lead of the game since the 15:00 mark in the first half after White hit a mid-range jumper. Cooper put the Owls up by one with 2:42 after hitting a three-pointer from the top of the key. Perez struck again the next possession, knocking down another big three to give the Vikings a 60-58 lead with 2:28 remaining.
Chris Parenteau (Lancaster, MA) put Salem State ahead 62-58 with just under two minutes left on a put back of a White layup. After driving the length of the court, Cooper found himself at the foul line and cut the deficit to just two with 44 seconds left.
With no timeouts left, Westfield State fouled Grassa to stop the clock. With a chance to give the Vikings a two possession lead, Grassa made one of two free throws to give Salem a 63-60 lead.
The Owls had one last chance as they rushed up the court with 28 seconds left when Owl guard Dan Johnson (Belchertown, MA) hit the game tying three-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime.
In overtime, Perez scored eight points in 45 seconds to give Salem State a 71-65 lead with 2:36 left to play. Westfield State cut the deficit to three after a Robby Jones (Chicopee, MA) trey, but the Vikings held off the Owls in overtime to secure the victory.
White added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Grassa (12 points) and Ortiz (11 points) also finished in double figures for the Vikings.
The Owls’ Cooper racked up game highs of 36 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists. Jones added 14 and Jesus Sanchez (Springfield, MA) tallied 13 points and nine rebounds for the Owls.
Salem State will resume action when it travels to Framingham State University to take on the Rams on Jan. 21. The Owls host f Worcester State University on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 7:30pm.
