SALEM, Mass. – Junior forward Eric Downie (Medford, Mass./North Cambridge Catholic) led five players in double figures scoring a game-high 32 points to lead the Salem State College Vikings to a 92-81 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies, Saturday in Salem.
With the win the Vikings improve to 6-4 overall. Southern Maine, which entered the game riding a three-game winning streak, drops to 5-4 overall.
Downie finished the game with a double-double grabbing 11 rebounds to go along with his game-high 32 points, shooting an impressive 11-for-20 from the field, including a 2-for-3 mark from the three-point stripe. Downie was equally as effective from the charity stripe knocking down 8-of-9 free throws. Freshman center Dylan Holmes (Groton, Mass./Worcester Academy) scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Vikings, while junior guard Marty Harrington (Beverly, Mass./Cushing Academy) added 12 points. Sophomore guard Alex Finn (Ashby, Mass./St. Bernard’s) and senior guard Wilkins Victor (Lawrence, Mass./Lawrence) each scored 11 points. Victor also posted a double-double for the Vikings passing off a game-high 12 assists.
Sophomore guard Josh Daniels (Everett, Wash./Maine Central Institute) led the Huskies with a career-high 24 points on a 9-for-17 effort from the field as Southern Maine placed five players in double figures. Senior forward Jesse McKinnell (Manomet, Mass./Scituate) notched a double-double scoring 11 points and 11 rebounds and senior forward Bill Hardwick (Boothbay, Maine/Boothbay Region) and sophomore Foster Oakley (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue) each chipped in with 13 points apiece. Sophomore guard Walter Phillips (Portland, Maine/Bridgton Academy) added a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.
With the scored tied at 69 points a piece with 6:49 on the clock, the Vikings used a pivotal 7-0 run to break away from the Huskies to take a 76-69 lead with 4:53 to play. Downie netted four points in the run for Salem State knocking down both ends of a one-and-one before grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting the put back.
The Huskies pulled to within four points, 82-78, on a spinning baseline lay-up from Daniels, with 2:08 remaining, but it was as close as Southern Maine would get the rest of the way as the Vikings’ countered with a three-ball from Downie on the next possession to push the lead to seven, 85-78. From there, the Vikings drained the necessary free throws en route to the 92-81 final.
Southern Maine returns to action after the holiday break when it hosts St. Joseph’s College (Maine) in the first game of the 2005 Maine Event. The Huskies will take on the St. Joseph’s College Monks at 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 29.
Salem State returns to action following the holiday break when it travels to Williams College to participate in the Williams College Tournament. Salem State will challenge Manhattanville at 1 p.m. on Thursday, December 29.