Salem State Advances To MASCAC Semifinals

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications 

SALEM, Mass. -- Abuk Teng (Manchester, N.H.) was perfect at the free throw line during the final seconds of overtime as #4 Salem State slipped past #5 Worcester State, 84-80 on Tuesday night at Twohig Gymnasium in MASCAC quarterfinal action.  The Vikings improved to 13-12 while the Lancers end their season 5-21.  Salem State will now face top seeded Framingham State this Thursday night in a semifinal game at 6:00 pm.  

Kylie Gates  (Pembroke, Mass.) was the standout performer for the Vikings as she led the team with an impressive 29 points and seven steals. Meanwhile,  Teng recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. For Worcester State, Alana Smith (Chicopee, Mass.) was the leading rebounder with 18 rebounds, while Cameron Watkins (Dracut, Mass.) put up a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Katie Hurynowicz  (Tyngsboro, Mass.) had an exceptional game, scoring 27 points and was perfect with all nine of her free throw attempts.

The game began with Ernidia Goncalves (Everett, Mass.) scoring the first basket for Salem State as the Vikings traded points with the Lancers early on. The game progressed as a back-and-forth battle, and Salem State managed to take a one-point lead, 8-7 at the 6:57 mark after Nicolette D'Itra  (Revere, Mass.) hit both of her free throws. This sparked a 10-2 run, with Gates scoring six of those points, and the Vikings went up 18-9 with 4:44 left on the clock. Worcester State tried to get back into the game with a 9-4 run, but Gates dashed their hopes by scoring a three at the buzzer, putting the Vikings ahead by eight by a score of 25-17.

In the second half, Mia Haynes (Worcester, Mass.) opened the scoring for Worcester State and Hurynowicz quickly scored a two-pointer and converted a three-point play with a free throw, bringing the score to 27-24 in favor of the Vikings. Salem State's lead was cut down to just one point, 29-28, but Teng scored a layup and converted a free throw, for a three-point play. This sparked a 10-1 run by the Vikings, giving them an 11-point lead, 40-29 with 3:06 remaining. Jaylen Nieves (Chicopee, Mass.) then hit a three, forcing Worcester State to call a timeout. After the timeout, Nieves was fouled, and she managed to score two of the three free throws.  

At halftime, Salem State led by nine points, 42-33. Gates was the leading scorer for the Vikings, with 13 points, scoring 5-8 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from the three-point line. Teng was the top rebounder for the Vikings with five, while D'Itria and Goncalves had three assists each. For Worcester State, Lena Waldron  (Quincy, Mass.) and Hurynowicz had nine points each, while Alana Smith (Chicopee, Mass.) had 11 rebounds.

In the second half, Salem State struggled from the floor, going 4-for-15 (26.7%), allowing the Lancers to cut the deficit to just two points, 55-53 at the end of the third quarter as Worcester State closed on a 6-0 run.  

In the fourth period, D'Itria started the scoring, making a basket and scoring two buckets from the free throw line. The game was closely contested, with the score tied at 59 apiece with 6:51 remaining. Worcester State took the lead at the 5:30 mark, 61-60. However, at the 5:00 minute mark, the game was tied again at 63 apiece, as the battle continued.

Salem State was down by four points at the 2:58 mark, 67-63. However, Nieves banged in a three, and with 28.6 seconds remaining, Salem State was down by one point by a  score of 71-70. However, Gates managed to even up the score with only 22.6 seconds remaining after hitting 1-of-2 from the line, sending the game to overtime.

Hurynowicz scored the first basket of overtime to put the Lancers in the lead, but the Vikings responded right back. At the 2:17 mark, Teng scored on a layup, putting the Vikings ahead, 77-76, and then completed the three-point play with a free throw.  

With the game tied at 80, Gates managed to knock in both of her free throws, and Teng sealed the deal from the charity stripe, connectiong on both attempts as Salem State secured a thrilling 84-80 quarterfinal victory in overtime.