Details on SSU Men’s and Women’s Basketball
SALEM – Sean Doncaster (Medford, Mass.) scored a career-high 29 points as WPI bested Salem State 87-62 on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium. Jamani Spencer (Closter, N.J.) added 13 points and six assists for the Engineers, who improve to 7-2 on the season. Marcus Faison (Cambridge, Mass.) netted 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Vikings, who lost their fifth straight, and now stand at 4-6.
Doncaster and Spencer combined for 25 first half points as WPI built a 45-33 lead before the break. The Engineers, who shot 55.6% (20-36) from the field, jumped out to a 21-8 lead following a three-pointer by Lou Doherty (Arlington, Mass.). Salem State stayed within striking distance thanks to key three pointers form Tyreik McCauley (Worcester, Mass.) and Shyheim Davis-Smith (Boston, Mass.), who had six opening half points. After allowing the lead to dip to five points, WPI closed the half with a 7-0 run to claim a 12-point advantage at intermission. The Engineers scored 28 points in the paint while shooting 50% (5-10) from three-point range, Faison had nine points and five rebounds for the Vikings, who shot 44.4% (12-27) from the field, but hit just three, three-pointers on eight attempts.
WPI maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half as Doncaster scored 15 points, going 8-for-8 from the free throw line. A Shaquan Murray (Boston, Mass.) three-pointer cut the deficit to 10 points, 69-59 with 7:56 remaining for the Vikings, but five quick points from Connor Willgress (Mill Creek, Wash.) and two free throws by Doncaster sandwiched around a free throw by Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) built the lead back up to 16, 76-60 with 4:54 left in the game. WPI received strong play from its bench, which tallied 28 points and contributed to the 25-point victory.
Ian Converse (Woodstock, Conn.) scored 10 points and seven rebounds as the Engineers finished the day shooting 50% (33-66) from the field. Murray contributed 10 points and three assists and Drew Healy (Lowell, Mass.) notched nine points and eight rebounds for Salem State, which turned the ball over 17 times to just eight by WPI.
Salem State will play next on December 29th and 30th as the Vikings host their annual Holiday Invitational. This year Salem State will play Regis and Southern Maine. WPI hosts Keene State on Wednesday, December 28th at 6:00 PM.
Women’s Basketball
SALEM – Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) scored 22 points and added seven rebounds as Salem State defeated Endicott 61-45 on Saturday afternoon at Twohig Gymnasium. The Vikings (7-3), which lost 67-39 to the Gulls (3-6) a year ago, are off to their best start since 2007, when they opened the season 7-1.
Waggett scored 13 first half points and Kaitlyn Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) added seven as the Vikings built a 28-27 halftime lead. Salem State jumped out to a 10-4 advantage in the first quarter after a pair of free throws by Bryan. Endicott stormed back, scoring nine points in a row as Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.), who had seven first half points, notched four points during the run. Waggett regained the lead for the Vikings with consecutive baskets and Salem State held a 14-13 advantage after one period of play.
Endicott opened a four-point lead, 22-17 midway through the second quarter on a three-pointer from Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine), who tallied eight points and six rebounds in the first half. Shaw’s second three-pointer gave the Gulls their largest lead of the quarter, 25-20 before five straight points by Waggett tied the game at 25-25. A Saran Kaba (Dorchester, Mass.) free throw broke a 27 all tie and gave the Vikings a one-point advantage at intermission
Neither team led by more than five points in the third quarter. Trailing 32-27, Endicott received four points from Shaw and baskets from Sarah Hood (Burlington, Mass.) and Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.) to retake a 33-32 lead with 4:45 remaining. Both teams then traded baskets before Kate Lipka’s (Peabody, Mass.) layup gave Salem State a 40-39 lead heading into the fourth.
The Vikings kept the momentum going in the fourth quarter, spurred on by back-to-back hoops from Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass.) as Salem State built a 44-39 lead. Fernandes, who had eight fourth quarter points helped the Vikings pull away as they outscored the Gulls 10-4 to take a 54-43 lead. Salem State then sealed the win, closing the game on a 7-2 spurt, to claim the 16-point victory.
Fernandes earned a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Lipka added 11 points and five rebounds for the Vikings who shot 40.7% (24-59) from the floor. Shaw ended the day with 12 points and eight boards while Pratt added nine points for the Gulls, which shot just 15.8% (3-19) from three-point range. Hood and Kiernan each had eight points.
Salem State travels to Emmanuel for a game Tuesday night beginning at 7:00 P.M. Endicott hosts Brandeis on Friday, December 30 at 2:00 PM.
