Jennings Lifts Men's Basketball to Dramatic 108-105 Overtime Win Over Salem State

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Freshman forward Louis Jenning's (Walpole, Mass.) clutch and-one layup with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Bridgewater State University men's basketball team to a dramatic 108-105 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over visiting Salem State University on Saturday afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

The Bears improve to 11-3 on the season and 1-1 in the MASCAC, while the Vikings fall to 3-12 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Bridgewater State never trailed in the overtime session which featured three ties. A three-pointer by Salem senior forward Jarret Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) with 36 seconds left to play knotted the score at 105-105. Jennings then came up with the huge putback off a clutch offensive rebound and was fouled. He calmy sank the free throw to give the Bears a three-point lead with just 1.8 second showing on the scoreboard. Out of a timeout, Salem attempted a length of the floor pass that was intercepted by BSU sophomore forward Keyth Key (Springfield, Mass.) as time ran out.

Jennings poured in a career-high 26 points on 12 of 17 shooting. He also added six rebounds (three offensive) and five steals.

The Bears also received 16 points, a game-best 11 rebounds (three offensive), six assists, two blocked shots and two steals from graduate center Emerson Halbleib (Carmel, Ind.), as well as 14 points, four rebounds (two offensive) and five assists from junior guard Justin Parsons (Portsmouth, R.I.). Freshman guard Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) led all players with nine assists and six steals to go along with five points and two board.

Halbleib's double-double marked his team-leading eighth of the season.

The BSU bench came up big with senior center Stanley Pierre-Lewis (Roxbury, Mass.) contributing 11 points, five rebounds (two offensive) and a block in 14 minutes, while junior forward Peyton Priest (Papillion, Neb.) scored ten points in 18 minutes. Sophomore guard Tyler Uyemura (Kersey, Colo.) went 3-for-3 from behind the arc as he notched nine points to go along with three assists and three steals in 21 minutes of action.

Senior guard Chris MacDonald (Wakefield, Mass.) and junior guard Josiah Green (Springfield, Mass.) tallied 27 points apiece to lead the way for Salem State. Green went 12-for-20 from the floor and added two assists and three steals. Green connected on 9 of 13 field goal attempts including 5-for-8 from behind the arc in 30 minutes off the bench. He also checked in with three rebounds and three assists.

Byrne finished with 14 points, seven boards, six assists, a steal and a game-high four blocked shots for the Vikings.

Senior forward Conner Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) posted a double-double with 17 points and ten rebounds (three offensive) for the visitors. Byrne also filled out the stat sheet with two, assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Senior guard Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, Mass.) notched ten points, two rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks.

The first half featured eight ties and six lead changes with neither team leading by more than seven points. Jennings led all players with 15 first-half points, while Green and Conner Byrne paced Salem with 12 points apiece and MacDonald added 11 off the bench. The two teams combined for 20 turnovers over the first 20 minutes. The Bears shot 48.7% (19-39) from the floor including 4-for-10 from behind the arc. The Vikings shot 59.4% (19-32) in the first half and went 3-for-11 (27.3%) from behind the arc.

The second half was also tightly contested with five ties and ten lead changes. With the clock winding down, Byrne dropped in a layup to give the Vikings a 94-92 lead with 1:22 remaining. The Bears however answered at the other end of the floor as Halbleib knocked in a pair of free throws to knot the score. Neither team scored in the final minute as the game headed to overtime.

Bridgewater State shot 46.5% (40-86) for the game and finished 11-for-29 (37.9%) from behind the arc and 17-for-21 (81%) at the free throw line. Salem State shot an impressive 56.9% (41-72) and went 9-for-27 (33%) from three-point range and 14-for-18 (77.8%) at the charity stripe. The Vikings, however, turned the ball over 23 times.

The Bears held a 43-36 rebounding advantage with a 14-4 edge on the offensive glass. Bridgewater also held the edge in points in the paint (42-34), points off turnovers (25-15), second chance points (12-6) and bench points (38-32).

The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams next Wednesday evening at 5:30. The Bears travel to Worcester State University to take on the Lancers, while the Vikings head to Westfield State University to battle the Owls.

Notes: The Bears snapped a three-game losing streak against the Vikings. Salem holds a 95-36 advantage in the all-time series.