CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Salem State out scored MIT, 16-7, over the five minutes of the game to come away with a 70-61 win over the Engineers in non-conference men’s basketball action tonight. Sophomore Drew Healy (Lowell, Mass.) and junior Marcus Faison (Cambridge, Mass.) each had double-doubles to lead the Vikings to the win. The victory was the 250th career win for Salem State head coach Chris Harvey.
With MIT (5-2) holding a 54-53 lead with 5:12 left in the contest, freshman Zach Hurynowicz (Burlington, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws to start a 6-0 surge that gave Salem State (4-2) the lead for good. With 3:28 to play a pair of freebies by freshman Adam Jurko (Weston, Fla.) pulled MIT back to within three at 59-56, but it would be as close the Engineers would get.
Over the final 7:30 of the game MIT missed 10 straight field goal attempts, and with 1:23 to go Healy threw down a dunk that had the visitors up, 65-57. Salem State then hit on five of six free throws to put the game away.
The two teams traded baskets in the early going, but MIT received a three from senior Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash.) and a layup from freshman Bradley Jomard (Paris, France) to open a 12-6 lead four minutes in. The Engineers still held a six-point lead three minutes later when Salem State picked up jumpers from sophomore Shaquan Murray (Boston, Mass.) and Faison to make it a two-point contest.
A Murray layup tied the game at 18-all and from there it remained close the rest of the half, with four ties and five lead changes occurring over the final 10 minutes. The final tie of the half came when Jurko drained a three-pointer with 53 seconds left to make it 34-34, but Healy answered on the other end with 33 seconds on the clock to give Salem State a two-point halftime lead.
Neither side could pull away in the opening minutes of the second half, with three more ties occurring over the first three and a half minutes. Trailing by one with 15:30 showing, a three-point play by Jomard put MIT on top, with senior Lampros Tsontzos (Amarousion, Greece) adding a layup to give the Engineers a 47-43 edge.
A three by Pedley put MIT up by six with 10 minutes to go, but sophomore Billy Muse (Salem, Mass.) hit back-to-back shots, including a three, to cut the Engineers’ lead to a point in just 40 seconds. Jurko answered with a bucket to push the lead back to three, but it was the last field goal for MIT until the final seconds of the game.
Pedley led MIT with 16 points, with Jurko adding 14 more. Tsontzos led the Engineers with nine rebounds, while Frankel added nine assists and six points. Salem State, which shot 52 percent for the game and out rebounded MIT, 35-30, saw Healy lead all scorers with 20 points while pulling down 10 rebounds. Faison led all players with 12 boards and completed his double-dobuble with 15 points, hitting on six of his eight field goal attempts.
Salem State will host the New England Classic this weekend at Twohig Gymnasium, taking on Tufts University at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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Salem State Women’s Basketball Loses at Home
Salem, Mass. — Jen Chalk (Horseheads, NY) led the Saints of Emmanuel College with 14 points as they rolled to an 86-38 victory over the Vikings of Salem State Thursday night at Twohig Gymnasium. The victory improves the Saints’ record to 5-3 while Salem State drops to 3-3 on the season.
Chalk anchored Emmanuel’s offense with eight points in the first half as the Saints dominated in the paint. Emmanuel scored 22 of their 38 first half points in the post while shooting 47% from the field. Salem State helped out by committing 18 turnovers in the half that were converted into 20 points. Maddie McLaughlin (Westerly, RI) led the visitors on a small 7-0 run that opened up a 29-12 advantage with 5:16 remaining in the half. A pair of Devin Rauh (Collegeville, PA) free throws gave the Saints their largest lead, a 22-point margin allowing them to take a 38-16 into halftime.
The Vikings couldn’t find an answer for Emmanuel’s defense as the Saints outscored Salem State 27-13 in the third quarter to raise their lead to 65-29 heading into the fourth quarter. During that stretch, Emmanuel went on a 16-3 run where they tallied 16 points in the paint. While their offense was efficient, their defense was effective as they forced a total of 30 turnovers that accounted for 31 points. In the fourth, Emmanuel ran away with the game as they built a lead as large as 50 when Taylor VanLandschoot (Cape Coral, FL) assisted Mary McCarthy (Scituate, MA) on a layup. VanLandschoot drained a three with fifty-seconds left that made the final 86-38.
Olivia Marks (Canterbury, CT) contributed with 10 points while Sarah Higgins (Groveland, MA) and Lena Negri (Arlington, VA) each added nine points apiece. Leading the way for the Vikings was Tahira Peralta (Stoughton, MA) who scored 14 points.
Salem State will hit the floor again on December 8th when they host the Huskies of the University of Southern Maine at 7:00 p.m.
Information from Salem State University Sports Information Office
