Vikings Dominant In Win Over Engineers

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications 

SALEM, Mass.-  Nicholas Martinez (Revere, Mass.) and Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, Mass.) combined for 39 points to lift Salem State to a 97-67 victory over MIT on Tuesday night at Twohig Gymnasium. The Vikings boosted their overall record to 3-3, while the Engineers slipped to 1-6.  

For Salem State Michael Makiej (Andover, Mass.) had an impressive performance, recording his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Nicholas Martinez also had an outstanding game, going 10-15 from the field and falling just one rebound short from recording his first double-double of the season. Castillo led the Vikings with six assists, while Liam Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) chipped in with three blocks. For MIT, Will Bland (Vergina Beach, Va.) recorded 21 points as he went 8-12 from the field. Merlin Gogolin (New York, N.Y.)  and Spencer Lin (Menlo Park, Calif. ) had seven rebounds each, while Samuel Chen (Bellevue, Wash.) had four assists. 

The game started on a perfect note for MIT scoring three-pointers in their first three possessions to take an early 9-4 lead. However, Salem State fought back and narrowed the gap to 10-8, with Castillo hitting a crucial three-pointer.  Makiej then tied the game at 10 with a layup before MIT went on a 8-0 run, with Bland responsible for four of those points. After Coach Harvey called a timeout, the Vikings answered with five straight points, highlighted by Wil Martinez's (Revere, Mass.) three-pointer from the right side. The game was then 18-15 in favor of the Engineers.    

During the final eight minutes of the first half, the Vikings took the lead as they went on an 11-2 surge, with Castillo responsible for eight of points, including a three-pointer. Salem State had a nine-point lead with less than four minutes to play in the first half before heading into the final 20 minutes of the game with a 41-33 lead. 

At the half, Castillo led the charge with 10 points and three assists, while Makiej had 11 rebounds. For the Engineers, Bland led the team with nine points and was 4-5 from the field. Gogolin led the Engineers with four rebounds at the half.   

During the second half of the game, Nicholas Martinez started the scoring with a layup, which increased the Vikings' lead to ten. As the period progressed, Salem State was up by twelve. The Vikings did a great job moving the ball to go up by 17 by a score of 56-39.  

Salem State was in control from then on, dominating the Engineers throughout the second half. They went on a 15-2 run, highlighted by  Makiej's five points and Nicholas  Martinez's three-pointer. Salem State was up by as many as 32 points late in the game. Juvens Louis (Everett, Mass.) then made two free throws at the end as the Vikings went on to win 97-67. 

Salem State's next game will be on the road against River University on Thursday, November 30, at 7:00 P.M.