Rams Race Past Vikings

SALEM, Mass. – Suffolk handed Salem State their first loss of the season with a 74-60 victory over the Vikings on Tuesday evening at Twohig Gymnasium. The Rams (2-0) never trailed as the Vikings go to 1-1 on the year. 

Keenan Robertson posted a double-double with 30 points, going 13-of-18 (72.2%) from the floor with 14 rebounds and three assists for Suffolk while Matt Draheim came off the bench to tally 18 points on 5-of-9 (55.5%) shooting. 

Tyrese Rho topped Salem State with 20 points on 7-for-10 (70.0%) shooting to go with five rebounds. Omri Merryman - nine points and Liam Byrne - six points, seven rebounds and four blocks also contributed for the Vikings.

How it Happened:

• Tied 15-15 early, Draheim drained a three to spark a 9-0 run by the Rams, who built a 24-15 lead with 9:24 left.
• Salem State cut into the deficit to trail by five, 28-23 after a Byrne layup, but three turnovers by the Vikings and a three-pointer by Draheim and dunk by Robertson grew the lead to 13, 38-25 with 2:32 remaining. 
• The Vikings only made one field goal over the final two minutes and exited the half trailing 40-28.
• Robertson, who scored 11 points after halftime, helped keep the lead near double-digits for most of the second half as his two free throws gave Suffolk a 48-37 advantage early in the second half.
• A Robertson free throw gave the Rams their largest lead of the game, 66-48 with 7:08 remaining as both teams emptied their benches before Suffolk prevailed with a 14-point victory. 

Inside the Numbers:

• Suffolk owned the offensive glass, holding an 18-6 advantage, which led to 22 second chance points.
• Both teams struggled from the charity stripe, as Suffolk went 11-for-17 (64.7%) and Salem State 8-for-15 (53.3%)
• The Vikings shot 49.0% form the floor (24-49), but were just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from behind the arc.  

Up Next

The Vikings host Emerson, this Saturday. November 16 @ 12:00 pm.