Lancers Overcome History, Advance to 10th MASCAC Title Game

SALEM, Mass. – It had been 28 years since Worcester State University had beaten Salem State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) men's basketball postseason game, but that all changed on Thursday evening as the #3 seeded Lancers topped the #2 seed Vikings 77-68 in the semifinals at Twohig Gymnasium.

The win sends the Lancers (16-11) into the MASCAC title game for the second consecutive tournament. Just like they did in 2019-20, Worcester State will travel to top seeded Westfield on Saturday to determine the conference champion and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.

Chris Cardoso (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) scored 21 points and the Lancers overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half to defeat Salem State (15-10) for the second time this season. Sam Dion (Barre, Mass.) scored all of his 17 points in the second half, ending the night shooting 5-9 from the floor, including 3-6 from behind the three-point line. He also grabbed five rebounds and had three steals to go with four assists.

With the Vikings leading 58-49 with 12:40 remaining, the Lancers ran off thirteen straight points, 9 of them by Dion, who had a pair of steals during the spurt that led to points. Dion tied the game at 58 with a three-pointer, and then made a jump shot and a pair of free throws to put Worcester ahead 62-58 with 6:36 to play.

The Lancers wouldn't trail again. Another three-pointer 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.

The lead stayed at five points when Otis Wheeler (Worcester, Mass.) made a layup, with Dion doling out assists down the stretch on his way to his four-assist game.

After Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.), who scored a game-high 33 points, cut the deficit to three points with a layup with 3:08 remaining, Dion hit another three-pointer and drew a foul on the play and the lead moved back to six points.

Ryan Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) came up with a steal that led to free throws by Cardoso, and Wheeler and Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass.) had huge blocks down the stretch to help secure the win. 

Rubenskas had three blocks and recorded a double-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. 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.

Wheeler scored seven points and grabbed seven boards, as the Lancers outrebounded Salem State 51-43. 

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 the three by Dion.

Worcester State will make their tenth appearance in the MASCAC championship, looking for their second conference title in school history. Their only previous championship came in 1994, when they beat the Vikings in the title game. Since that game, Salem had won 11 straight postseason meetings between the two schools.