Beacons Hold Off Vikings' Late Charge

SALEM, Mass. - Joie Grassi (Plymouth, Mass.) finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals in UMass Boston's 69-59 win against the Salem State Vikings at Twohig Gymnasium on Wednesday.

UMass Boston (2-0) got off to a quick start, opening up the game on a 10-1 run. The Beacons made the Vikings uncomfortable on offense coming up with seven steals in the first quarter. The Vikings (0-2) played better in the 2nd quarter and were able to close the gap to five points.

The half ended with UMass Boston ahead 30-22. Both teams shot poorly from the field in the opening half with the Beacons shooting 32.3% (10-31) and Salem State shooting 33.3% (10-30) from the field.

UMass Boston started the second half strong, scoring 10 unanswered points in building a 40-22 lead. The Vikings responded by going on an 18-4 run to finish the third quarter, including a Tyra Scott (Methuen, Mass.) three-pointer to beat the buzzer and cutting the deficit to four at 44-40.

The Beacons were in the bonus for much of the fourth quarter, converting 11-17 (64.7%) free throws. The Vikings however, weren't able to claw their way back into the game due to foul trouble, committing 27 fouls for the game.

Kia Fernandes (Wareham, Mass.) scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for Salem State while Brianna Rodriguez (Salem, Mass.) added seven steals.   

UMass Boston hit eight three-pointers, shooting 50% (8-16) compared to Salem State's 14.3% (2-14) from behind the arc.

The Vikings will look to bounce back with a win against Oneonta on Friday at 8:00 p.m. at the Williams College Invitational.