Men's Basketball Falls To Vikings On Senior Day

Fitchburg, MA – The Fitchburg State Men's Basketball team dropped a 93-62 decision to the Vikings of Salem State this evening in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action from the Parkinson Gymnasium on senior day.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 62, Salem State 93

Fitchburg State (3-21, 1-9 MASCAC) I Salem State (12-11, 5-6 MASCAC)

How It Happened

1st half

Salem State jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage on a layup from junior Liam Byrne (Melrose, MA) before Fitchburg State answered with a three-ball by senior Javon Taylor (Cambridge, MA) (6-5). The Green and Gold knotted the score at 9-9 on a bucket by freshman Alex Moemeka (West Hartford, CT), but the Vikings regained the lead (14-9) as junior Michael Makiej (Andover, MA) drained a three pointer and senior Jaden Castillo (Lawrence, MA) added a basket.

The visitors pushed the advantage to 33-9 as newcomer Omri Merryman (Lynn, MA) connected on a layup and a three pointer, but the Green and Gold trimmed the lead to 35-11 on a Taylor bucket. Fitchburg State cut the lead to 37-17 on buckets from freshman Braeden White (Spencer, MA) and Taylor before the Vikings took a 44-19 margin into the break with Castillo registering a jumper.

2nd Half

Following the intermission, Fitchburg State opened the frame with a Moemeka layup and two free-throws from Taylor to make the score 44-23, but Salem State answered back as Byrne netted back-to-back layups to push the lead to 48-23. The Falcons answered when newcomer Juelez Campbell (Lexington, MA) sank pair from the charity stripe (55-33) before the Vikings extended the margin to 60-33 on a three-ball by Castillo.

The Falcons went on an 8-0 run with Moemeka, freshman Diallo Barry (Baltimore, MD) and classmate Donald Brown Jr (Baltimore, MD) connecting on buckets before the Vikings upped the lead to 64-44 on a three-point play by Merryman. The Green and Gold responded as Taylor drained a three pointer (77-50), but the visitors secured the victory on a Castillo jumper, resulting in the 93-62 final.

Prior to the contest, the Fitchburg State Men's Basketball team honored its lone senior, Javon Taylor (Cambridge, MA) for his contributions to the program.

Inside the Numbers                                                                                                 

• Falcons were led by Taylor with a team-leading 19 points, ten rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block
• Moemeka added 14 points, six caroms, one assist and one steal
• For the Vikings, Castillo finished with a game-best 24 points and four assists
• Makiej chipped in with 18 points, six boards, two assists and one steal
• 111th meeting between Fitchburg State and Salem State on the hardwood with the Falcons 19-92 all-time when taking on the Vikings
• Fitchburg State shot 25-for-68 (36.8%) from the field and (4-of-17) 23.5% from three-point range
• Salem State finished 32-of-68 (47.1%) overall and (11-for-25) 44.0% for beyond the arc
• Vikings held a 45-38 advantage on the glass

Up Next

Falcons return to action on Saturday as they travel to Framingham State to take on the Rams for a conference matchup, starting at 2:00PM.

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