Vikings Top Lancers, 77-74, Head to MASCAC Championship

SALEM, Mass. – No. 2 Salem State defeated No. 3 Worcester State, 77-74 to earn a trip to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Finals against No. 1 Westfield State this Saturday, March 1. The Vikings, who are now 12-14, are looking for their first MASCAC Tournament Championship since the 2018-19 season, which is also their last title game appearance. The Lancers end their season 13-14.

All five starters scored in double figures for Salem State, led by Nicholas Martinez (Revere, Mass.), who totaled 20 points to go with six steals. Tyrese Rho (Boston, Mass.) went 7-for-12 (58.3%) from the floor for 15 points while Omri Merryman (Lynn, Mass.) had 14 points. LJ Hicks (Gardner, Mass.) posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Liam Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) produced 10 points, eight rebounds and tied a season-high with six blocks.

Jaylen Kirkland (Gardner, Mass.) led Worcester State with 17 points and nine rebounds. Sam Davies (Worcester, Mass.) tallied 14 points while Camdyn Shoesmith added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ayme Daguilh (West Boylston, Mass.) contributed 14 points and three assists off the bench.

How it Happened:

• Salem State pulled away early, using an 8-2 run to take a 22-14 lead on a Rho dunk at 11:56 of the first half.
• 11 first half points by Daguilh allowed Worcester State to hang around, as a layup by Zeke Noelsaint (Malden, Mass.) tied the game at 24-all with 7:36 left.
• Trailing by six at the 5:28 mark. The Lancers outscored the Vikings 15-4 to take a 39-34 advantage into halftime.   
• Salem State took control of the game to open the second half with a 21-4 run following a pair of free throws by Martinez.  
• The Vikings managed to keep the lead near double-digits until a layup by Kirkland and five straight points from Davies cut the deficit to just five, 67-62 with 7:08 left.
• Worcester State trimmed the lead to just two points in the final minutes and following another three by Davies, trailed just one point 75-74 with :07 seconds remaining.
• However, Martinez, who went 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the second half, converted twice from the line to ice the game

Inside the Numbers:

• Salem State finished 29-of-62 (46.8%) from the floor.
• The Lancers struggled from three-point range, going 7-for-31 (22.6%) from behind the arc.
• The Vikings held a slight 41-39 advantage in rebounds.
• Worcester State had won the past two MASCAC Tournament championships.

Up Next:

The Vikings will face top seed Westfield State on Saturday at 1:00 pm in the MASCAC Championship.