BOSTON,MA (December 12, 2023)— The UMass Boston men's basketball program dropped their first of the final two road games before the holiday break against the Salem State Vikings, as they were outscored 77-85 in an offensive battle from Salem, MA on Tuesday evening. Sophomore Guard Emanuel Zayas continued his offensive hot streak with 25 points in the effort.
Zayas once again led the way on the offensive end for the Beacs, notching 25 points including five buckets from downtown. Zayas was backed by sophomore guard Alex Woolery, who contributed 13 points on 5-13 shooting, as well as sophomore forward Dominic Shaw and sophomore guard Carson Meczywor, who each contributed 10 points. Meczywor shot 44% from the field (4-9). Additionally, Meczywor along with first-year Corrie Byrd took command on the defensive end, contributing three steals each.
It was a rough start for the Beacons and Vikings offensively, with the Beacons winning the initial tip, followed by six missed shots cumulatively. Beacons struck first with sophomore guard Clayton McLaren knocking down 1-2 from the charity stripe. Halfway through the first quarter saw both teams working through offensive struggles, as the Vikings led by an impeding three points halfway through the first half (12-15). The Vikings were able to stretch their three-point advantage to 16 following physical defensive showings from the Vikings' Nelson Obarisiagbon who capitalized on an 18-5 Vikings' run. The Beacs struggled from the floor offensively shooting 29% from the field in the first half, as they found themselves in the hole down 16 entering the second.
The Beacs relied on their rebounding and free throws to dig themselves out of the hole they found themselves in to initiate the second half. With six minutes down, they were able to cut the Vikings' lead to eight following a Zayas' three-pointer. Mid-way through the second half, Zayas found himself back at the line to hit three shots from the charity stripe to cut the lead to five with just over ten minutes remaining. A minute later, Zayas secured another three free points from the line following a foul on a jumper by the Vikings' Jaden Castillo. Zayas converted all three to bring the deficit to four (64-68) with just over nine minutes remaining. Zayas willed the Beacs back into it following a steal that led to a Zayas' three pointer to give the Beacs a one point lead (69-68). The Vikings responded by retaking the lead on a suffocating 14-2 run to give them an 11-point cushion with just over two minutes remaining. The Beacs finished out the road game shooting 46% from the field in the second half. The Beacons also closed out the game by out-rebounding the Vikings 44-39, and also recording fewer turnovers (15-19).
The Beacons have one more opportunity to give Beacons' fans a holiday gift before heading home for the holidays, as they travel west on the Mass Pike on Saturday, to tip off against Westfield State at 7:00 pm from Westfield, MA against the Westfield State Owls. Live stats and video coverage will be available at https://beaconsathletics.com.
—BEACONS—
