Salem State Men’s Basketball Wins
WESTFIELD – Salem State senior center Drew Healy (Lowell, Mass. / Lowell) posted a near triple double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocked shots to lead the Vikings to a 90-74 victory over Westfield State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at the Woodward Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Vikings are now 21-3 overall and 11-0 in the MASCAC while the Owls are 10-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
Westfield State came out of the gate fast, leading by as many as eight points early in the first half, the last at 24-16 on a Peter Mafo (Lynn, Mass./ Lynn Classical) jumper with 6:34 left in the half.
Salem State rallied to grab the lead late in the half. With Westfield leading 28-25 with 3:43 left in the half, the Vikings closed with a 14-0 run, including a pair of three pointers from Jacob Lindland (Lawrence, Mass./ Worcester State) and a fastbreak dunk from Healy.
In the second half, the Vikings built their lead to as many as 22 points, 70-48, on Healy layup with 9:59 to play. Westfield chipped away at that margin, getting it back down to 15, on a Marcus Collins (Cambridge, Mass. /Cambridge Rindge & Latin) layup with 2:55 to play, but Salem kept the Owls at arms-length for the rest of the game.
The Vikings were led by Lindland and Healy who each scored 17. Shaquan Murray (Hamilton, Mass./ Merrimack College) added 15. Alex Santos added 13 points and handed out nine assists. The Vikings shot an even 50 percent for the game on 35-70 from the floor.
Westfield State junior forward Collins scored 22 points and added 13 rebounds and four blocks. Mafo contributed 16 points and five assists, while Austin Joseph (Rockland, Mass./ Cardinal Spellman) scored 10 points for the Owls, who shot 29-72 (40.3%) as a team.
Westfield State will be back in action on Wednesday night, hosting Fitchburg State at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the Owls’ senior night, as well as the varsity athletes 3.0 reception.
Salem will host MCLA on Wednesday in the Vikings final regular–season game.
Salem State Women’s Basketball Falls at Westfield State
Westfield, Ma—Lucy Barrett (Williamstown, Mass) led the way with 17 points for the Owls as Westfield State University topped Salem State,100-74 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Saturday afternoon at the Woodward Center.
With the win, combined with Worcester State’s loss today, the Owls clinch the top seed in the upcoming MASCAC tournament, and at least a share of the conference’s regular-season title for the fifth consecutive year.
Salem State ran out to an early 11-4 lead, but the Owls went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 13-all on a Keri Paton layup with 4:42 to play in the opening quarter.
Westfield (15-7, 9-1 MASCAC) turned up he defensive pressure in the second quarter, outscoring the Vikings 25-6 in the frame, and forcing 15 Salem turnovers in the second quarter alone. Westfield led 45-29 at the half behind 13 points from Rebecca Sapouckey (Granby HS/Chicopee, Mass.).
The Owls took full control in the second half. The Owls used a 17-5 run towards late in the third quarter to stretch the lead. Barrett ended the third quarter with a deep three pointer just before the buzzer to give the Owls an emphatic 75-52 lead after three.
Barrett finished 7-16 from the field and shot 3-8 from the three point line and added three steals. Rebecca Sapouckey (Granby/Chicopee, Mass) went 7-11 from the field to net15. She and added eight rebounds, and four steals. Allison Hester (Sutton, Mass) added 11 points off the bench for the Owls to go along with two assists and three steals, while Chelsea Moussette (Hampshire/Southampton, Mass.) dished out six assists.
Senior guard Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass) led the effort for the Vikings as she posted a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. She shot 11-20 from the field. Junior forward Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass) was Salem State’s second-leading scorer as she put up 17 points with four assists.
The Owls defense caused 40 turnovers and tallied a total of 21 steals.
Westfield State University’s next game is Wednesday, February 14th, against Fitchburg State at 5:30 PM in Westfield, which will be the Owls’ senior night, as well as the Varsity Athlete 3.0 reception.
Salem State plays MCLA on Wednesday, February 14th, at 5:30 PM in Salem, Ma.
Salem State Women’s Hockey Falls
SALEM – Callie Jackson (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) scored the go-ahead goal and added an assist as Nichols earned a two-game sweep of Salem State, beating the Vikings 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Rockett Arena. The Bison improve to 11-9-1 and even their record at 5-5 in the Colonial Hockey Conference. Salem State slides to 4-16-2 and remains winless in league play at 0-9-1. / Box Score
The Vikings went up 1-0 as Kylie Currier (Middleton, Mass.) scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season 8:37 into the first. McKenna Gernander (Newington, Conn.) answered less than five minutes later for Nichols as she beat goalie Sarah Plourde (Hooksett, N.H.).
Mel McAleer (Hanson, Mass.) set up Kelly Ferreira (North Falmouth, Mass.) just 3:39 into the second with a nice feed that Ferreira deposited for a 2-1Bison lead. However, Vanessa VanBuskirk (Winthrop, Mass.) tied the game at the 4:57 mark for the Vikings when her shot from just inside the blue line floated past netminder Cassandra Goyette (Norton, Mass.).
A late penalty by Salem State helped Nichols reclaim the lead as Jackson slid one past Plourde with just over three minutes remaining in the period, giving the Bison a 3-2 edge before heading into the third.
The Vikings’ forecheck provided ample opportunity for Salem State to tie the game in the final period. Despite taking 18 shots, the Vikings could not tally the equalizer, as Goyette managed to keep the puck out the net despite relentless pressure by Salem State.
With less than thirty seconds remaining, Asley Ljunggren (Shrewsbury, Mass.) iced the game for Nichols when she tipped one past Plourde that made the final 4-2.
Goyette made 32 saves in the victory while Plourde stopped 24 shots.
