MILTON, Mass. – Salem State broke open a close contest with a 48-point second half, en route to an 87-72 win against Curry in men’s basketball action Thursday night in Milton. The Vikings improved to 4-5 on the season, while the Colonels fell to 2-9.

The first six minutes of play produced a 13-9 lead for the visitors. Curry then used an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to establish its biggest lead of the game (20-13). The run began with a layup by sophomore forward Chris Brown (Boston, MA) and was capped off with a jumper by sophomore guard Sedale Jones (Pittsfield, MA). Salem State steadily whittled down the Colonels’ lead until junior forward Brian Clark (Deerfield, MA) made a layup with 1:08 remaining in the first period to give the Vikings a lead (38-37) they would never surrender.

Salem State opened the second half with a 13-4 run that began with a jump shot by sophomore guard Justin Nieves (Lawrence, MA) and was capped off with a pair from the charity stripe by freshman forward Jamal McCollum (Boston, MA). The Colonels pulled to within six (70-64) with 6:25 remaining in regulation, after a pair of free throws made by Jones, but the Vikings went on to score 17 of the contest’s final 25 points.

Salem State was led by Clark with 27 points. Senior guard Nick Linear (Salem, MA) added 21 and Nieves contributed 14. Linear recorded a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds. Nieves collected a game-high six steals.

Jones led Curry with 27 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Junior guards Jarrell Jackson (Brockton, MA) and Michael Connery (Narragansett, MA) chipped in with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

The Vikings resume play on January 11, traveling to North Adams for a 7:30 p.m. contest against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. The Colonels host conference rival Western New England College on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.

Box Score/Play-By-Play