No. 3 Worcester State Gets Past No. 2 Salem State 77-68, Bryan Becomes School's Second All-Time Leading Scorer

SALEM, Mass. –  Chris Cardoso (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) scored 21 points and Sam Dion (Barre, Mass.) added 17 second half points to lead third-seed Worcester State to a 77-68 victory over second-seed Salem State in the semifinals of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament on Thursday evening at Twohig Gymnasium. The Lancers improve to 16-11 and advance to face top-seed Westfield State in the championship game on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings conclude their 2021-22 campaign with a record of 15-10.

Salem State's Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) became the school's second all-time leading scorer in the contest, surpassing Kevin Poole (1985-89), who had 1,843 points.  Bryan ended the contest with 33 points, finishing his career with 1,849 points. 

Trailing 39-37 at halftime, Worcester State's Dion sparked the Lancers' offense, going 5-for-8 from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point range to help Worcester State erase a 12-point deficit in the second half.  

The Lancers built an early eight-point first half lead behind the play of Cardoso, who opened the game 4-for-4 from three-point range.  The Vikings closed the gap as Bryan, who scored 23 first half points, drove in for a layup to cut the deficit to four points, 25-21 with 9:12 remaining. The Lancers held on to a slim margin until Salem State's Jarret Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) tied the game with a three with less than two minutes remaining before the half. Cardoso answered for Worcester State, but Bryan scored five unanswered points, giving Salem State a 39-37 advantage at the break. 

Bryan was 10-of-15 from the field in the first half for the Vikings, which shot 16-of-40 (40.0%) from the floor. The Lancers finished the half 14-of-33 (42.4%), including an efficient 6-of-13 (46.2%) from behind the three-point arc.

A 6-0 spurt to start the second half by Salem State quickly pushed the lead to 45-37. Back-to-back scores by Bryan, including the milestone basket on a mid-range jumper, gave the Vikings a 10-point advantage, 54-44 with 15:11 left. Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, Mass.) then pushed the lead to 56-44 with a steal and fast-break layup. However, Salem State's offense went cold, going nearly seven minutes without a point as Worcester State came back to tie the game, 58-58 after a three by Dion.

Six straight points by Dion put Worcester State back in control, 65-60 with 5:16 remaining. The Vikings, which shot 10-of-38 (26.3%) and 1-of-12 (8.3%) from behind the arc in the second half managed just two field goals in the final five minutes, allowing the Lancers to pull away.

Leading 78-74 with 1:10 left and Salem State fighting to close the deficit to a single possession, Consecutive blocks by Otis Wheeler (Worcester, Mass.) and Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass.) proved clutch, denying Salem State to pull closer as three free throws by Dion iced the game, giving the Lancers a 77-68 victory.

Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) was the third Lancer in double figures, finishing with a double-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Bjorn had six points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks for Worcester State, which ended the game 28-of-65 (43.1%) from the field.

Bryan, who was the only player in double figures for Salem State also had nine rebounds. Conner Byrne (Melrose, Mass.) tallied seven points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.