Men’s Basketball Falls at Salem State

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

• The Rams were led in the game by 15 points and nine boards off the bench from Brett Okundaye.  Okundaye connected on 5-of-8 from the floor and added an assist and three steals. 

• Jahden Erold also tallied 15 points in the contest and added four boards, three assists and two steals. 

• Ivan Nyantenji and Emmanuel Raymond chipped in with eight points apiece, while Johsue Castillo added six points and seven rebounds. 

• The Vikings saw five players tally double figures led by a game-high 17 points and 16 rebounds from Jarret Byrne. 

• Conner Byrne added a double double of his own with 11 ponts and 11 boards to go along with four blocks. 

• Sean Bryan tallied 13 points and just missed a double double as he dished out a game-best nine assists, while Chris MacDonald and Juvens Louis added 10 points apiece. 

• THe Vikings shot 47% from the floor in the game including 36% from behind the arc, while Rams connected on 35% of their offerings and struggled from long range connecting on just 1-of-10. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

• The Rams jumped out to a quick four point lead in the opening minutes of the game on a layup from Castillo. 

• Salem State used an 8-0 run capped by a Byrne three to take a 14-6 lead just over five minutes into the game.  The Vikings continued to maintain the lead taking a 37-24 lead at the half. 

• In the second half, the Rams closed the gap to 10 (45-35) on an Erold bucket with 14:14 on the clock, but the Vikings responded with a 12-2 spurt over the next three minutes pushing the lead back to 20 en route to the victory.