Salem, MA --- Salem State junior Hamed Akanni (Fitchburg, MA) tallied a team-high 19 points and added seven rebounds as the Vikings earned a 71-62 victory over Worcester State this evening at the Twohig Gymnasium in MASCAC men's basketball action.
With the win, Salem State moves to 9-5 (2-0 MASCAC) while the Lancers slip to 3-11 and fall to 0-2 in league play.
The two squads were neck and neck the first few minutes of the game, before the Vikings went on a 14-2 run as Salem State pulled ahead, 20-13, with just under six minutes remaining in the first half.
The Lancers cut the deficit to just one after a trey from junior Brendan Rios (Easthampton, MA) (23-22) with 3:45 on the clock, however, Worcester State did not see another lead and entered the second half down 31-26.
Salem State sophomore Anthony Hodges (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) sparked the Vikings offense with three-pointer that spurred a 7-0 run to start the second half.
Down eleven, the Lancers went on their own 7-0 burst, led by Rios, which cut the Salem State margin to 42-38, with 14:48 left in regulation.
Another Hodges trey gave the Vikings the momentum back and Salem State pulled away after a junior Nicholas Grassa (Lynn, MA) back-door layup, which gave the Vikings a 55-42 advantage with 7:52 remaining.
Akanni then led a 14-2 spurt for the Vikings that helped give some seperation and put the Lancers in a hole and trailing by 65-43 with two minutes remaining.
The hosts closed out the game at the charity stripe with a 6-of-8 shooting effort from the foul line to earn the victory.
Hodges finished with 12 points and four rebounds while Perez finished with 14 points and five rebounds.
Rios chipped in with a bame-best 23 points on four-of-seven shooting from beyond the arc and dished out a trio fo assists as freshman Jeremy Bacon (Milford, MA) added 11 points and three rebounds.
Senior Dane Jobst (Athol, MA) missed out on his ninth double-double of the campaign with a contest-high 14 boards and nine points.
Salem State shot a blistering 46 percent from the floor (24-for-52) and drained 17 of their 19 tries from the free throw line. The hosts also led in points in the paint (36-32) and took advantage of WSU's miscues for the 18-11 margin in points off turnovers.
Worcester State led in rebounds (40-35), offensive boards (14-4) and second-chance points (8-0).
Both squads continue their respective MASCAC slates with 3 o'clock home starts on Saturday. The Lancers hosts Bridgewater State while the Vikings entertain Westfield State.
Portions of Release Courtesy of Salem State Sports Information
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