Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, and Men’s Hockey results
SALEM — Salem State men’s basketball came up with a defensive stop in the final seconds to earn a 73-72 victory over the Bears of Bridgewater State on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium to remain undefeated in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. Rocky DeAndrade’s (Mansfield, MA) runner in the lane came up short, and the Vikings’ defense swarmed Joseph Carty (Natick, MA), who came up with the rebound, and prevented Carty form attempting a game-winning layup as the clock ran out. Salem State enhances their regular season record to 10-6 while improving to 4-0 in the MASCAC. Bridgewater State evens out their record at 8-8 while slipping to1-2 in the conference.
Shaquan Murray (Boston, MA) energized the Salem State offense right from the tip-off with a quick bucket in
the opening seconds that sparked a 7-2 run. It didn’t take long for the Bears shooters to get them back in the game as Greg Romanko (Mansfield, MA) and DeAndrade knocked down three’s in back-to-back possessions to cut the deficit to 11-10 five minutes into the game. Alexander Santos (Lawrence, MA) had the hot hand for the Vikings as he led the team with 12 first half points on 5-10 shooting from the field. Santos and the Salem State offense were aggressive, taking everything to the rim as they outscored Bridgewater State 28-14 in points in the paint. Marcus Faison (Cambridge, MA) and Tyriek McCauley (Worcester, MA) combined for 13 of those 28 points. The Vikings had their hands full containing DeAndrade as he led all scorers with 13 points, shooting 3-4 from downtown.
Bridgewater State depended on their outside scoring from DeAndrade and Romanko to keep them in the game as they shot 50% (6-12) from beyond the arc. DeAndrade gave his team a 35-32 lead with 3:00 remaining when he drained two consecutive threes’ in back-to-back possessions. That momentum was quickly taken away after a Fawaz Mass (Taunton, MA) turnover that led to a McCauley fast break jam that cut the Bears’ lead to 35-34. Although the Vikings committed more turnovers (8) than Bridgewater (6), Salem State capitalized on the Bears’ mistakes as they collected nine points off those turnovers while the Bears had none. McCauley gave Salem State the lead with :44 on the clock after a made three-pointer, but the lead was erased after a made free throw by Bridgewater’s Mass, who knotted the game at 39-39 to enter the second half.
Turnovers were an issue for the Bears as their offense turned the ball over nine times in the second half, which the Vikings converted into 11 points as Salem State led 58-49 with 11:27 left to play. McCauley’s energy helped Salem State maintain that margin as the half progressed as he powered his way into the paint for an easy left handed layup that brought the score to 62-53 with just over nine minutes remaining. McCauley had 11 of his 18 points in the second half while grabbing six rebounds to help the Vikings outrebound the Bears 36-33. The ability to score from the perimeter helped Bridgewater State cut the deficit to three after a made three from Keyon Armstrong (Brockton, MA) and a strong take to the basket by Mass. Salem State got into some foul trouble that included a technical foul on Faison and a costly turnover and foul from Rayshaw Matthews (Boston, MA) that gave the Bears three shots at the line that they cashed in on to tie that game at 67-67 with 4:12 on the clock. McCauley ended Bridgewater State’s momentum with a big trey ball that allowed Salem State to regain a 70-67 edge. After a made free throw from Faison in the following possession, Romanko came up clutch for the Bears in the final two-minutes with a deep three-pointer that cut the Vikings’ lead to 71-70.
Patrick McGuinness (New City, NY) picked McCauley’s pocket after the Vikings’ forward grabbed an imperative offensive rebound that led to a McGuinness fast break layup to hand Bridgewater State back the lead with 1:27 remaining. The Bears played an aggressive style of defense in the final moments with the game on the line, but it cost them as Romanko fouled Matthews with just over a minute left. Matthews made both free throw attempts that gave Salem State a slight 73-72 edge.
However, right out of a Vikings’ timeout, Santos turned the ball over to give Bridgewater State a chance to win the game with 23-seconds left. Out of a second timeout, DeAndrade drained the clock with a last second floater that air balled which gave Salem State a dramatic win 73-72 victory as time expired.
The Vikings were led by Murray, who led all players with 20 points. McCauley added 18 points off the bench while Faison’s double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) contributed heavily to the Vikings’ win. Santos finished with 14 points and three boards.
DeAndrade anchored the Bears offense with 15 points on 4-9 shooting while Mass added 14 points. Carty recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) while Romanko tallied 2 points that all came from beyond the arc.
Salem State continues their season in the MASCAC on Jan. 18 when they travel to Westfield State to take on the Owls at 5:30 p.m. The Bears host the Lancers of Worcester State on Jan. 18 as well with a tip-off time of 5:30 p.m.
SALEM — In women’s basketball Rhiana Page (Brookline, MA), Chelsea Saucier (Portland, ME) and Nicole Bostick (Bridgewater, MA) each scored 14 points as the Bears of Bridgewater State cruised past the Salem State Vikings’ 67-45 on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium. The Bears improve to 6-9 with the win while upping their Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference record to 2-1. The Vikings lost their fourth consecutive game as they slide to 8-9 and 0-4 in conference play.
The Bears controlled the tip-off and ran out to a 9-0 run paced by Page who scored four points during the stretch. Salem State had a hard time scoring as they were held to just six points in the first quarter and eight points in the second quarter. The Vikings shot only 20% from the floor (5-25) while committing nine turnovers.
Salem State cut the deficit to 20-14 with the help of Kia Fernades (Wenham, MA), who scored four consecutive points in the paint. Courtney Paschal (Waltham, MA) and Kaitlyn Bryan (Lowell, MA) helped reduce the lead with their shooting as Bryan knocked down two free throws to cut Bridgewater’s lead to six. The Bears outside shooting was nowhere to be found, going 0-11 from three-point range in the first half which allowed Salem State to creep back into the game. A Saucier layup in the final two minutes gave the Bears a 22-14 lead heading into the second half.
Page led all scorers at the half with eight points on 4-5 shooting.
Bridgewater State received production from their bench in the third quarter as the Bears jumped out to an 18-point advantage by the end of the period. Bostick sparked a 9-0 run with her first made three-pointer of the game. This run put the Bears ahead 32-19 with 4:25 left in the third. After a Fernades made layup, Bridgewater State scored six unanswered points to go up by 18 with 2:50 left to play. The Vikings turned the ball over seven times in the quarter which Bridgewater State converted into 11 points. Meanwhile, the Bears’ bench chipped in with 11 points while the Vikings reserves only accounted for five.
In the fourth quarter, the Vikings had no answer as Bridgewater State jumped out to a lead as large as 25-points in final two minutes of the contest after a made layup from Stephanie DeSantis (Walpole, MA). Brianna Rodriguez (Salem, MA) made a three-pointer right before the final buzzer to cut the margin to 67-45 for the final score.
Sara DaSilva (Chelmsford, MA) chipped in with 10 points for the Bears in their win.
Norma Waggett (Saugus, MA) led the way for the Vikings with 16 points and seven rebounds while Fernades tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Bridgewater State will take the court again on Jan. 18 as they host the Lancers of Worcester State at 7:30 p.m. while the Vikings host the Owls of Westfield State also on the 18th.
SALEM — A Brandon Platt (Pittsburgh, PA) penalty shot in the second period was enough for the Vikings men’s hockey team of Salem State to earn a 1-1 tie Saturday afternoon against MASCAC rival Plymouth State at Rockett Arena. The tie brought the first place Panthers to7-5-2 on the year while their Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference record goes to 5-1-1. Salem State is now 5-7-3 on the season and 4-2-2 in the MASCAC.
Jason Pucciarelli (Newmarket, ONT) had a busy day in net for the Vikings as he made an outstanding 35 saves. The junior goaltender did let up one goal in the first period while the Panthers were on a power play after a Derek Makimaa (Swartz Creek, MI) cross check put the Vikings down a man. With this opportunity, Plymouth State’s Ryan Stevens (Colleyville, TX) put one in the back of the net with 30-seconds left on the man advantage. Stevens was set up by Caleb O’Brien (Saginaw, MI) and Dan Dupell (Collegeville, PA). Plymouth State goalie Thierry Messervier (Chambly, QUE) kept the Vikings off the scoreboard in the first 20-minutes allowing the Panthers to take a 1-0 lead into the second period.
Three-and-a-half minutes into the second, Plymouth State forward Tim Larocque (Middleboro, MA) tripped Platt in open ice that was enough to award him the penalty shot. Platt capitalized on Larocque’s mistake as he undressed Messervier with a patient move that opened up the entire left side of the net for the easy back handed goal to tie the game at 1-1. Midway through the period, Salem State back-to-back power play chances after Baxter Strachan (Sioux City, IA) and Quinn Carrol (Amherst, NH) were assessed minor penalties. However, Salem State was unable to convert on both chances as they ended the night 0-5 on the power play.
After a scoreless third period, the two sides headed to overtime to decide the outcome of the game. In five minutes of extra play, Pucciarelli stood strong, withstanding constant pressure from the Panthers’ attack. Pucciarelli made four saves in overtime including one on Chris Zuccaro (Hudson, NH) in the final seconds that denied Zuccaro low on Pucciarelli’s left pad which preserved the tie.
Plymouth State outshot the Vikings 36-27 while also controlling face-offs 37-31. Messervier made 26 saves in the draw.
Salem State’s season resumes on Jan. 19 when they host the Falcons of Fitchburg State at 7:00 p.m. The Panthers will host MASCAC opponent Framingham State also on Jan. 19 with face-off at 6:00 p.m.
