Men's Basketball Falls to Salem State, 97-75
Framingham, MA - Behind 24 points and 14 rebounds from senior center Dylan Holmes (Groton, MA), the Salem State College men's basketball team remained unbeaten in Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action with a 97-75 victory over the Framingham State Rams in Framingham tonight. The Vikings, winners of seven straight, improve to 13-2 on the season and 3-0 in the MASCAC, while the Rams have lost three straight and now sit at 9-8 overall and 1-3 in conference.
The Viking offense was firing on all cylinders tonight as they connected on 52% of their offerings from the floor, while the Rams only connected on 37.5% of their shots. Salem State held a 58-40 advantage in the paint and a 53-36 advantage on the boards. They also received 38 points from their bench while the Rams only received 10 from their reserves.
Junior guard Bill Carey (Abington, MA) nailed a three with 12:44 remaining the first half to pull the Rams within three at 20-17, but that would be as close as they would come. The Vikings went on a 19-7 run over the next six minutes to open up a 15 point lead at 39-24 with 6:01 remaining. Holmes would scored seven points in the run for the Vikings, who never let the Rams get any closer than 15 and even extended the lead to as many as 25 points in the second half.
Holmes, who was 9-of-22 from the floor in the game, led six Vikings in double figures. Sophomore swingman Nick Linear (Salem, MA) also added a double double for the Vikings with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field to go along with 11 rebounds. Guards Stevie Celestin (Somerville, MA) and Brennan Bennett (Whitinsville, MA) added 12 points apiece, while Brian Clark (Deerfield, MA) chipped in 11.
The Rams were led by junior Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, MA), who notched his 8th double double of the season, with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-27 shooting from the floor and 13 rebounds. Carey added 14 points including 3-of-6 from behind the arc, while Chad Dixon (Brockton, MA) added 10 points and five assists.
Both teams return to conference action on Thursday night as the Rams travel to MCLA at 7:30 p.m. and the Vikings host Fitchburg State at 8 p.m.