Men’s Basketball Win
SALEM — Shaquan Murray (Boston, Mass.) led Salem State’s offense with 24 points and eight rebounds as the Vikings held off the Anchormen of Rhode Island College, 92-84 Tuesday night at Twohig Gymnasium. Salem State enhances their record to 4-1 while Rhode Island falls to 3-3.
It was a shootout in the first half as each team shot close to 50% from beyond the arc. Salem State’s sharp shooters heated up early as Murray, Jacob Lindland (Hamilton, Mass.), Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) and freshmen Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) combined for 18 points from three-point range. The two sides also found success in the paint with Rhode Island earning the upper hand outscoring Salem State 24-20.
Murray paced the offense in the first half, pushing the ball up the court before the Anchormen forwards could defend him. Tallying 16 points in the first, Murray led the Vikings to 15 fast break points while Rhode Island scored five points in transition.
Lindland gave the Vikings the spark they need midway through the half with his team trailing 20-19. Lindland scored eight quick points on two quick three’s and a layup in transition to help Salem State build a 29-23 lead. The Vikings three-point shooting allowed a nine-point lead in the final three minutes, which was the largest margin of the half.
Rhode Island held the deficit to five or less early in the second half, but never was able to secure a lead throughout the second half. Roosevelt Shider (Meriden, Conn.) kept the Anchormen close midway through the half with two consecutive deep trey balls that cut the deficit to 72-68. In addition to the long ball, Domonique Bull (Worcester, MA) dominated in the post with 26 points on the night while grabbing eight boards. However, Rhode Island couldn’t contain Salem State’s guards in the transition game as Murray, Santos, and Bryan combined for 59 points on the night.
Salem State ran into some trouble in the final two minutes when Shyheim Davis-Smith (Boston, Mass.) was called for a questionable foul that put Justin Campbell (New Haven, Conn.) at the line where he sank one of two shots to cut the Vikings’ lead to 88-84. However, Santos and Murray added four fast break points in the final seconds to secure the 92-84 victory.
Santos finished with 20 points while Bryan added 15 and Marcus Faison (Cambridge, MA0 contributed with 14 points and 15 rebounds. The Anchormen were led by Bull who tallied 26 points while Jovel Beckford (Providence, RI) added 16 points.
The Vikings season continues on Dec. 1 when they host MIT at 7:00 p.m. The Anchormen will take on conference opponent Plymouth State on Dec. 3 at 3:00 p.m.
Women’s Basketball Loses
SALEM — Sarah Jaromin (E. Greenbush, N.Y.) shot 4-6 from beyond the arc for 12 points as she led the Judges of Brandeis University past the Vikings of Salem State 59-34 Tuesday night at Twohig Gymnasium.The Judges improve to 4-2 on the year while the Vikings’ even their record at 3-3.
Despite trading baskets in the opening minutes, Salem State’s offense struggled to get comfortable in the first half as they committed eight turnovers which Brandeis converted into 10 points. The Vikings scored just two points in the second quarter allowing the Judges to open up a 34-12 halftime lead. Hannah Nicholson (Sunderland, V.T.) led all players with 11 points and four rebounds in the first 20-minutes of play.
Salem State continued to struggle from the floor in the second half, shooting just 24.2% and 21.3% for the game, including 0-19 from three point range.
An Eva Hart (Manasquan, N.J.) layup provided the largest lead for Brandeis at 57-20 with 7:55 left in the fourth quarter. Tyra Scott (Methuen, Mass.) scored nine second half points for the Vikings, finishing with 11 overall as the Judges settled for the 25-point victory.
Brandeis took advantage in transition as they pushed the ball up the floor, converting 16 turnovers into 14 points while going 20-of-30 from the free throw line. Nicholson ended the night with 11 points for the Judges while Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y.) added eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Salem State travels to Mount Ida on Thursday for a 6:00 PM start while Brandeis hosts John & Wales at 12:00 PM on Saturday.
