Salem State Cruises Past Johnson and Wales, 66-53

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications  

PROVIDENCE, R.I.- Kylie Gates (Pembroke, Mass.) and Abuk Teng (Manchester, N.H.) combined for 32 points on Tuesday evening to give Salem State the 66-53 victory over Johnson and Wales at the Wildcat Center. The Vikings improved their record to 3-0 on the season, while the Wildcats dropped to  0-2. 

Ernidia Goncalves (Revere, Mass.) paced the Vikings with an impressive performance by recording a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Gates also contributed to the team's success with 18 points and five assists. For the home team, Mikayla Carsuro delivered a double-double of her with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Additionally, Alexa Lora and Payton Oliver both played a pivotal role in the team's offense by contributing three assists each in the effort.

The game began with a turnover by Salem State's Goncalves, which allowed the Wildcats to go on an early 6-2 run. Shortly after, behind six points from Teng, the Vikings would go on a 10-2 run of their own to find themselves with the slight four-point lead (12-8). With only 32.8 seconds left in the first period, Jaylen Nieves (Chicopee, Mass.)  converted an and-one to give her team the nine-point edge, but the Wildcats would answer with a last second three to find themselves down 19-13 after one quarter of action.

The Vikings wasted no time adding to their lead as they started the second quarter scoring four unanswered points before a perfect trip to the line for the Wildcats stopped the bleeding. As the second quarter continued, the Vikings had a nine-point lead (26-17) with 4:30 remaining on the clock, before Gates banked in a three-pointer to start a 7-2 run for the Vikings. Gates was responsible for five of the seven points during the run, putting her squad ahead 33-19. The final two minutes of the second would be scoreless for both teams, bringing the game to the halfway point with the Vikings up 34-21.

At the start of the second half the Wildcats scored back-to-back baskets to dig into the Vikings' lead, but Gates drained a three to resolidify Salem's 13-point advantage (39-26). As the quarter progressed, Coach White decided to call a full-time out as she saw her lead shrink to nine, which worked in their favor as Jaylen Nieves (Chicopee, Mass.) notched in back-to-back three-pointers for Salem State, giving her team the largest lead of the game at 15 (45-30). The Wildcats would cut the Vikings' lead to twelve before entering the final fifteen minutes of play.

After the game, Nieves reflected on her performance. "I can't take all the credit. My teammates were passing me the ball and trusting me with the ball to shoot. I think we are just working together, giving each other the ball and communicating more than last year to help get us to a 3-0 start."

The Vikings would lead by as many as 17 points in the final stanza before a late push by the Wildcats would bring them within eight (61-53). Unfortunately for the home team, the Vikings would ice the game at the free throw line, going 5-6 in the closing minute to take the 66-53 victory on the road.

Salem State will travel to Newton, Massachusetts this Saturday to take on the Lasers of Lasell University for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.