Lancers Sneak Past Vikings in OT

SALEM, Mass. – Salem State men's basketball was edged out in overtime, falling 104-99 to Worcester State at Twohig Gymnasium this afternoon. The defeat dropped the Vikings' record to 9-14 overall and 6-4 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play.

Omri Merryman (Lynn, Mass.) led the Vikings with a double-double, tallying 23 points and 15 rebounds. Tyrese Rho (Boston, Mass.) also contributed 23 points, while Nichols Martinez (Revere, Mass.) added 21 points. Liam Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) recorded a double-double of his own with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the hard-fought game.

For the Lancers, Brandon Goris flooded the stat sheet with 44 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and seven steals. Ayme Daguilh and Shawn Hebert also contributed significantly, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively, in the win.

How it Happened:

• At the nine-minute mark of the first half, the Lancers made their move, going on a 19-2 run to build a 20-point lead before a deep three-pointer from Merryman halted their momentum, narrowing the gap to 43-26 with 5:06 remaining.
• The Vikings tightened up defensively and limited the Lancers to just nine points in the final five minutes to make it a single-digit game, 51-40, at the break.
• Coming out of the half, the Vikings' offense surged, cutting the Lancers' lead to six before erupting on a 12-0 run to take their first lead since the game's opening minutes, 62-60, with 13:36 remaining in regulation.
• The teams traded points down the stretch, with three lead changes and four ties, with the final tie occurring when the Lancers hit a layup in the final 10 seconds to force overtime.
• In overtime, both teams swapped the lead in the first three minutes before Goris took control, scoring six unanswered points to help the Lancers secure a 104-99 victory over the Vikings.

Inside the Numbers:

• Omri Merryman recorded his first double-double of the season this afternoon while Liam Byrne recorded his fourth of the season.

Up Next:

The Vikings remain at home this Wednesday, February 19^th when they welcome the Falcons from Fitchburg State University at 7p.m.. Prior to the game the Vikings will honor their four seniors: Ethan Doyle, Jarnel Snow-Guzman, LJ Hicks, and Liam Byrne.