MASCAC QUATERFINALS: Men's Basketball Drops Heartbreaker vs. MCLA, 76-73

THE BASICS

No. 3 Salem State, 73 vs. No. 6 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), 76

Records: 

Salem State University Vikings (15-11) 

MCLA Trailblazers (9-15)

Location: Salem, Mass.

Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026 

THE LEAD — The No. 3 seed Salem State men's basketball team fell to the No. 6 seed MCLA Trailblazers, 76-73, after the visitors knocked down a buzzer beater Wednesday at Twohig Gymnasium. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Early in the first half, with things tied at eight, Salem State gave itself breathing room to go up six (14-8) thanks to back-to-back threes from Ali Barry (Lynn, Mass.) and Raheim Orleans (Attleboro, Mass.). The Vikings' offense continued to pull away from MCLA as the squad grabbed its first double-digit lead (25-14) when Omri Merryman (Lynn, Mass.) knocked down a three, which led to a Trailblazers timeout with 09:07 until halftime. 
• Coming out of the break, MCLA chipped away at the deficit and evened things at 29 thanks to a 15-4 run led by seven points from Kymani Harley. However, Salem would not give up the lead as the Blue and Orange outscored MCLA 11-9 for the last 05:30 and took a 40-36 lead going into the half.
• In the second half, both sides traded baskets early on, but MCLA grabbed its first lead since 17:19 of the first half (8-4) when Jayden Mills slammed home the go-ahead dunk. After a Frank Field free throw made it 52-49 for the visitors, Salem retook the lead after a key Merryman three made it 54-52 with 11:39 left, which led to an MCLA timeout. 
• Out of the timeout, Salem's offense continued its momentum and pulled ahead for a 10-point lead (63-53) courtesy of a 9-1 surge highlighted by five points from Jamel Walker (Worcester, Mass.). 
• Even with the large deficit, MCLA would not go quietly as the Trailblazers evened things at 65 behind a 12-2 rally, which included six points from Craig Williams. Down the stretch, both sides traded baskets, and with MCLA up 73-71 with 51 seconds left, Tyrese Rho (Boston, Mass.) converted a clutch lay-up and tied the game 73 with 23 seconds remaining. However, MCLA's Colin Quinn hit the buzzer-beater three-pointer, which resulted in a 76-73 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Four Vikings finished the contest in double-figures, led by Barry's 16 points. Not far behind was Walker with 14 points, Rho ended the game with 12, and finally, Orleans chipped in 10 points.
• Along with his 10 points, Orleans led the squad on the glass with 12 boards for his 11th double-double of the season.
• Williams led all scorers with 21 points for MCLA. Quinn was the only other Trailblazer to finish in double-figures with 17 points. Williams also notched a double-double on the evening with a team-high 10 rebounds.
• Salem's 15 wins this year are the most since the 2021-22 season, when the squad also had 15.