Men’s Basketball Drop Game to Vikings

SALEM, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team took to the road this evening, heading out to the Twohig Arena and Salem State University for MASCAC matchup with the Vikings. Colin Quinn scored a team-high 17 points for the Trailblazers, but they couldn't overcome a trio of double digit scorers for the home team, led by 20 points from Raheim Orleans.

THE BASICS

• Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
• Score: MCLA 54, Salem 86
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 4-12 (MASCAC 1-6) | Salem State University Vikings 10-8 (MASCAC 3-4)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Salem State would control the game from wire to wire, opening on a 6-0 run with layups by Raheim Orleans, Ali Barry, and Omri Merryman.
• The Trailblazers wouldn't go away quietly, multiple times getting back to within three points, first on a three from junior guard Colin Quinn (South Hadley, MA) that cut the Vikings' lead in half at 6-3, and then again after the teams traded baskets by Jamel Walker and senior forward Jayden Mills (Bronx, NY), making the score 8-5.
• The home team began to pull away, finishing the first half ahead 35-17 with Orleans having posted 16 points before halftime.
• The Trailblazers came out of the locker room with a sense of urgency, opening with a layup from freshman guard Frank Field (Adams, MA) to kick off a 7-2 run to pull within a baker's dozen. It was Quinn scoring the other five points getting MCLA to the closest they had been since early in the first half and forcing the Vikings to use a timeout to break the visitors' momentum with 17:45 to play.
• Salem State was able to stop the bleeding with the timeout before finding their composure after Will Martinez forced a turnover and converted on a layup to stretch the lead back to 16 points at 40-24.
• Field would bring the Trailblazers as close as ten points, converting on a three-point play, draining the free throw after his layup went in as the clock clicked under 16 minutes to play. That would be the closest the road team would get, as the Vikings pulled away late, eventually building a 35-point lead.
• Salem's Orleans led all scorers with 20 points while making eight of his nine shots from the field, while also posting a game-high 13 rebounds. Michael Makiej contributed 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench and Walker scored 11.
• MCLA was paced by 17 points from Quinn and Field finished with nine points. Senior guard Craig Williams (Dover, DE) had a team-high eight rebounds, one more than Mills' seven boards.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: MCLA 20-51 / 39.2%, Salem 32-55 / 58.2%
• 3 Points / %: MCLA 4-17 / 23.5%, Salem 4-16 / 25%
• Free Throw / %: MCLA 10-18 / 55.6%, Salem 18-28 / 64.3%
• Rebounds: MCLA 28, Salem 36
• Points off Turnovers: MCLA 7, Salem 30
• Second Chance Points: MCLA 0, Salem 10
• Points in the Paint: MCLA 26, Salem 42
• Bench Points: MCLA 15, Salem 40

UP NEXT

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it plays host to Worcester State University in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium for a MASCAC matchup with the Lancers. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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