Salem – Marcus Faison (Cambridge, Mass.) led Salem State with 27 points and 14 rebounds and Shaquan Murray (Boston, Mass.) finished with 22 points on 50% (9-18) shooting as Salem State defeated Worcester State 94-83 on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings improve to 8-7 and remain unbeaten in the MASCAC at 2-0 while the Lancers slide to 9-6, and 1-1 in conference.
Salem State and Worcester State played a tightly contested contest over the first 20 minutes of the game. Faison and Murray combined for 30 first-half points as Salem State took a 52-48 lead into halftime. The Lancers took an early 8-7 lead after a three from Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.). Salem State, led by Faison’s 18 first half points opened up an eight-point margin following a free throw byDrew Healy (Lowell, Mass.). Worcester State battled back, outscoring the Vikings 9-2 during a two-minute stretch to cut the deficit to 41-40 with 4:38 remaining. Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) hit back-to-back three pointers during the spurt as Salem State converted just one field goal attempt. Ryan DiBerardo (Springfield, Mass.) knotted the game at 41-41 before Faison hit back-to-back layups to give the Vikings a four-point lead. A Murray three-pointer closed out the half with the Vikings leading 52-48. Santos and Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) each had 11 first half points for Worcester State, which shot 51.4% (18-38) from the field.
The Lancers opened up a six-point lead to begin the second half, outscoring Salem State 10-3 following a basket by Santos. However, Salem State quickly erased the deficit with a six-point bulge with baskets by Zach Hurynowicz (Burlington, Mass.), Faison and Murray. A bucket by Brooks provided the tenth tie of the game, 65-65 with 13:56 remaining. The Lancers then struggled from the field, shooting just 32.4% (12-37) from the field as Salem State went on an 11-0 run as Worcester State went 0-9. DiBernardo stopped the bleeding with five straight points, and a Brooks layup put the Lancers down by just four, 76-72. However,Faison and Shyeim Davis (Boston, Mass.) combined for eight points as Salem State regained control and took an 86-77 lead with 3:33 remaining. The Lancers could not muster another run as Salem State held on for a 94-83 win.
Salem State’s Healy also contributed a double-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks for the Vikings while Davis added 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Santos led Worcester State with 21 points, while DiBernardo added 15. Shakir and Brooks both tallied 14 points with Brooks contributing 13 rebounds for the Lancers.
Salem State goes to MCLA on Wednesday at 7:30 PM for their next start. Worcester State entertains Fitchburg State at Clark next Saturday at 12:00 PM
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Salem – Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass.) recorded a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds and added eight blocks while Kaitlyn Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) added 17 points, eight boards, and six steals as Salem State (4-10, 1-1) snapped an eight-game losing streak in beating Worcester State 50-43 on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium. The Lancers slip to 4-9 on the season and 1-1 in the MASCAC.
Bryan scored her team’s first seven points as Salem State raced out to a 7-2 lead. A jumper by Kate Suprenant (Pelham, N.H.) brought Worcester State to within two at 7-5. However, the Vikings responded with an 8-2 run to push the lead to 15-7. The Lancers struggled from the field, shooting just 22.7% (5-22) and just 16.7% (1-6) from three- point range. A three-pointer by Bryan pushed the lead to 10 points with 6:22 remaining in the second quarter as Worcester State managed just five points over the final six and a half minutes. Salem State forced seven turnovers during that stretch to take a 28-15 lead into halftime. Bryan led all scorers with 10 points while Fernandes added seven. Worcester State turned the ball over 19 times in the first half.
The Vikings opened up a 16-point lead in the third, 34-18 as Fernandes dominated in the post, blocking six Worcester State shots in the period. A steal and three-point play by Bryan pushed the lead to 18 with 3:00 remaining in the third as turnovers continued to plague the Lancers, who committed 31 for the game.
Trailing 39-27 to begin the fourth, Worcester State mounted a comeback, going to the foul line eight times in the first five minutes; converting six into points. Samm Toli (Taunton, Mass.) closed the gap to 43-33 with 5:29 remaining for Worcester State with two from the line. Poor free thow shooting by the Vikings, who made just 13-24 for the game, gave the Lancers an opportunity late. Two free throws by Britt Herring (W. Brookfield, Mass.) cut the lead to just six, 44-38 with three minutes remaining. However, a basket and free throw by the Vikings Kate Lipka (Peabody, Mass.) quelled the comeback, but two turnovers and a miss turned into five straight points by Worcester State as Kaitlyn Berkel (Waterford, Conn.) knocked in a basket and Brianna Hackett (Hollis, N.H.) followed with a three. The Vikings held off the Lancers’ charge as Katrina Joubert (Westborough, Mass.) hit two free throws to preserve the 50-43 Salem State win.
Hackett finished with 14 points for the Lancers while Berkel added a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds with three blocks. Worcester State shot just 66.7% (18-27) from the line and 22.9% (11-48) from the field.
Salem State travels to MCLA Wednesday for a 5:30 PM start. Worcester State hosts Keene State at WPI on Monday at 12:00 PM.
Information supplied by Salem State Sports Information Office
