Vikings Run Win Streak to Seven
Framingham, Mass.— Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) led four Salem State players in double figures as Salem State improved to 8-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) with a 91-70 win over Framingham State on Saturday afternoon. The Vikings improve to 14-8 overall and extended their win streak to seven games. The Rams dip to 5-16 and 4-5 in conference.
Bryan led all Vikings with 21 points shooting 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Hakeem Animashaun (Dedham, Mass.) added a double-double with 14 points and a game best 17 boards. Temitope Bailey (West Springfield, Mass.) chipped in 12 for Salem while Melvin Worley (Lowell, Mass.) added 11 from the bench.
After a Tyri Hampton (Fitchburg, Mass.) basket two minutes into the game to give the Rams a 6-4 advantage the Vikings rattled of a 14-4 run capped by a Matt McCune (Somerville, Mass.) trey to lead 18-10 about eight minutes into the game.
The Vikings pushed their first half lead to as much as 17 on a Bryan free throw late in the half as the two teams headed to the locker room with the visitors up 43-28.
The Rams came out of the half with a 9-3 run to cut the deficit back to 10 on a Hampton jumper four minutes into the frame but that's as close as they would come.
Leading 11, 63-52, the Vikings pushed their lead to 17 after a 6-0 run capped by an Evan Mason (Gloucester, Mass.) free throw with about ten minutes to play.
The Rams were paced by senior Manny Payton (Fitchburg, Mass.) with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Hampton added 15 points while Khaneil Bruce (Cambridge, Mass.) chipped in 14.