Salem State Bounds Past UMass Dartmouth in Season Opener, 89-73
The Vikings capitalized on 26 UMass Dartmouth turnovers and saw three reach 20-plus points
DARTMOUTH, Mass. – UMass Dartmouth was ultimately upended by turnovers, as Salem State registered 26 points off the Corsairs’ blunders and saw three players hit 20-plus points to secure an 89-73 victory in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday.
The Basics
Score: Salem State 89, UMass Dartmouth 73
Records: Salem State 1-0 | UMass Dartmouth 0-1
How it Happened
After Salem State jumped out to a small lead within the first eight minutes, the Corsairs gathered their first lead of the evening when junior Tucker Bouchard (Kingston, Mass.) put in a layup. Several minutes passed of leads trading before the Vikings opened up a 10-0 run with two minutes remaining in the first half. Shaquan Murray (Boston, Mass.) hit six of game-high 22 points during the run, and the Vikings settled into the break with a 45-34 advantage.
The Vikings chipped away in the second half, taking advantage with 16 points off 10 UMass Dartmouth turnovers to extend the lead. Back-to-back layups by Murray complete with a Shyheim Davis-Smith (Boston, Mass.) steal put the visitors’ lead to its highest point of the evening at 18. The Corsairs cut the lead back down to 11 following consecutive 3-pointers by Jon Robinson (Chatham, Mass.) and Abi Akanni (Fitchburg, Mass.), but the Vikings built the advantage back to insurmountable before the final whistle.
Inside the Numbers
- Salem State’s Marcus Faison (Cambridge, Mass.) and Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) both registered 20 points, with Faison leading all players with 13 boards.
- UMass Dartmouth saw four players hit double-figures, led by Nick Portelance’s (Fairhaven, Mass.) and Atakan Akcam’s (Hoosac Falls, N.Y.) 14.
- Chris Mendes (Somerset, Mass.) dished out a career-high six assists to lead all players, adding in 11 points and eight rebounds.
- Bouchard saw competition for the first time since the 2013-14 season, making his comeback with seven points, a block and a steal in 12 minutes.
- Another difference in the contest was free-throw performance; the Vikings shot 83 percent (10-12) from the charity stripe while UMass Dartmouth converted only 53 percent (8-15).
Up Next
The Corsairs will host the annual Hampton Inn Classic this weekend, opening the two-day event against Trinity (Conn.) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Salem State will participate in Eastern Connecticut’s tournament this weekend, beginning with Middlebury on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Game
ANCHORWOMEN DOWN VIKINGS, 60-53, IN OVERTIME |
| Providence, R.I.–The Rhode Island College women’s basketball team posted a thrilling, 60-53, overtime victory against Salem State in the season-opener for both clubs at The Murray Center on Tuesday night.
Rhode Island College (1-0) was led by senior guard Alex Moore (West Newbury, MA) with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals, while freshman guard Jordyn Gauvin (Fall River, MA) added 13 points and six boards. Freshman forward Victoria Demers (Sutton, MA) rounded out the scorers in double-figure for the Anchorwomen, tallying 12 points with five rebounds. |
| Junior guard Norma Waggett (Saugus, MA) paced Salem State (0-1) with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while sophomore guard Tyra Scott (Methuen, MA) narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points, nine boards and three assists. Senior guard Kaitlyn Bryan (Lowell, MA) posted 10 points and nine rebounds in the setback for the Vikings. |
| RIC raced out to the early, 6-2, lead, capped by a three-pointer from Moore with 6:22 left in the first quarter. Salem State and closed out the period on a 6-2 run of its own to send the game into the first intermission tied, 8-8. It was more back and forth action throughout the second quarter with the score tied, 17-17, with just under three minutes left in the first half. The visiting Vikings closed out the stanza on a 6-0 run, capped by layup from Scott, to take a 23-17 lead heading into the locker room at halftime. |
| The tightly contest game saw the score tied for the fifth time at 32-32 before RIC used a three-pointer by Gauvin to take a 35-34 advantage heading into the final period. In the fourth quarter, Salem State took control of the action early and used a 12-1 run to take its largest lead of the game, 46-36, on a three-pointer by Waggett with 5:53 left in regulation. The Anchorwomen responded, however, and climbed all the way back to tie the game at 49-49 on a free throw by Gauvin. Moore had a three-pointer as time expired, but it hit off the back of the rim to send the contest into overtime. |
| After trading leads to start the overtime session with the score tied 53-53, RIC closed out the game on a 7-0 run, which included a 4-for-4 performance from the free throw line to take the, 70-63, victory. |
| For the game, RIC shots 23 percent (17-for-75) from the field, 31 percent (9-for-29) from three-point land and 61 percent from the charity stripe (17-for-28). SSU shot 28 percent (20-for-73) from the field, 21 percent (5-for-24) from downtown and 40 percent (8-for-20) from the free throw line. The Vikings held the advantage in rebounding, 68-55. |
| In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will face Westfield State in opening round action of the 2016 Brandeis Invitational on Friday, Nov. 19 (7 p.m.). |
“The 2016-2017 Vikings have something to prove this year. We have a chance to be a deep, exciting, fun team to watch. Our goal is to go out and win a conference championship and return to the NCAA Tournament. Anything short of that and we have missed the mission.”
This year Salem State, which was picked first in the 2016-17 MASCAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, will be led by conference player of the year candidate Marcus Faison, an ALL-MASCAC First Team and All-Region selection in 2016. Faison, a co-captain, finished last season second in the MASCAC and third nationally in rebounding, averaging 12.6 boards per game, and third in the league in scoring (15.8 ppg). Faison was also among the MASCAC league leaders in field goal percentage (58.5%) while leading the league in defensive rebounds (113). Faison set a school record with 20 double-doubles, which was second nationally. Guard Shaquan Murray also returns after earning second-team all-conference honors a season ago. The sophomore was second on the team in scoring with a 14.6 ppg average and led the Vikings in steals (34) and assists (81). Once again the Vikings’ offense will flow through Murray which will play to the strengths of the talented junior. Co-captain Shyheim Davis-Smith is back after playing a pivotal role off the bench last season. The senior will look to continue his strong play from last season, after totaling double digits in scoring over the final four games, including a 19-point, 10-rebound effort in the conference championship game. Center Drew Healy also returns, after finishing second on the team in rebounds (6.5 rpg) and third in scoring (10.3 ppg). The former MASCAC Rookie of the Year will look to make an even bigger impact this season.
Two new players will figure prominently into coach Harvey’s rotation this season. Reigning MASCAC Rookie of the Year Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) from Worcester State has joined Salem State and will shore up the backcourt after averaging 13.8 points per game and tallying 60 assists for the Lancers. Also looking to make an impact will be 6’6 versatile wingman Tyreik McCauley (Worcester Academy), who will provide an athletic boost on the offensive and defensive ends.
Salem State opens with a challenging early slate, which includes an appearance at the Eastern Connecticut Tournament and home games against regional powers Rhode Island College and MIT.
The Vikings open the season on the road against UMass Dartmouth on November 15th.
Coach Cunningham is confident that her veteran core will meet the challenge of becoming a better team. “I expect this group of players to test each other every day in practice to become the best team that we can be. I know their individual goals are high and I hope that motivates us to work together to compete in the conference.”Bryan, along with Kate Lipka, Kia Fernandes, Tyra Scott, and Saran Kaba forms a solid returning nucleus. Bryan, Salem State’s leading scorer a year ago with a 14.2 ppg average, finished second in the MASCAC in made three-pointers (59), and along with Lipka will provide scoring and range from the guard positions. Fernandes is the Vikings top returning rebounder, who averaged just over seven rebounds a game; was second on the team in scoring behind Bryan, averaging 9.7 points per game. The 6-1 sophomore will team with Scott at the forward position and will provide Salem State with a tough inside presence. Junior Kaba also returns as a defensive leader who can cause matchup problems with her athleticism.
Two new guards will be expected to contribute offensivley, Freshman Courtney Paschal (Waltham, Mass.) and transfer, Norma Waggett (St. Joseph’s of Maine) are both solid scorers, who can provide another option on the offensive end.
“I really think that this team will find success and follow the leadership of Bryan,” added Cunningham. “She had stepped away from the game for a couple of years, and had a good season last year. I think realizing this is her final season and there won’t be another shot to put on the Vikings’ uniform it will inspire her and her teammates to do something great this year, what that is exactly, is still to be determined! ”
The Vikings open the season on November 15th at Rhode Island College.
