Men's Basketball Opens Season With Win at Emerson, 84-80

THE BASICS 
Salem State, 84 at Emerson, 80

Records: 
Emerson College Lions (0-1)
Salem State University Vikings (1-0)

Location: Boston, Mass. - Brown & Plofker Gymnasium

Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2025

THE LEAD—  The Salem State men's basketball team kicked off the 2025-26 season with a win over Emerson College, 84-80, on Tuesday afternoon at Brown & Plofker Gymnasium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Emerson started things off quickly on Wednesday when Guillermo Ruiz Gasset gave the Lions a 6-2 lead after a fast break dunk. However, Salem continued to hang around and would eventually even things at 11 with a 9-5 run led by four points from Jamel Walker (Worcester, Mass.). Both sides continued to match the other's play as the half went on, and after a Giulio Volonte jumper gave Emerson a one-point lead (17-16), Salem gave themselves breathing room when the squad went up 24-19 courtesy of an 8-2 surge highlighted by an Ali Barry (Lynn, Mass.) three. 
• As the half went on, Emerson pushed back and evened the contest at 27 with an 8-3 rally. From then on, the Lions' offense continued to stay hot and grabbed their largest lead of the half (39-31) behind a 12-4 run highlighted by five points from Brendan Taylor. Despite the large deficit, Salem would not go quietly, and the squad pulled within one (39-38) with 27 seconds left after a 7-0 run led by five points from Barry. Emerson, though, closed the half with two free throws and took a 41-38 lead into halftime.
• Throughout the beginning of the second half, neither side let the other get too far ahead and stayed within striking distance. With 7:09 left in the contest, the Lions took a six-point advantage (66-60) when Shay Roban hit a three, but Salem would not be deterred. The visitors stormed ahead and went up six (72-66) with a 12-0 surge led by threes from Barry and Omri Merryman (Lynn, Mass.). 
• With 2:10 left in the contest, the Vikings earned their largest lead of the frame when Merryman knocked down a three-pointer that made it 77-70, prompting an Emerson timeout. Coming out of the break, the Lions chipped away and made it a two-point game (80-78) on an 8-3 run with 32 seconds left. Despite the late Emerson momentum, Salem would not let the hosts get any closer as Walker knocked down clutch free throws down the stretch and the squad ultimately came away with an 84-80 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Four of Salem's five starters scored in double digits, led by a career-high 18 points from Barry. The Vikings' other scorers to reach double figures were Walker with 17, Raheim Orleans (Attleboro, Mass.) at 14 points, and finally, Merryman, who had 13.
• On the glass, Merryman led the way with nine boards.
• Nicholas Martinez (Revere, Mass.) facilitated the offensive attack with six assists. 
• Linus Helmhold led all scorers with 25 points on an efficient 8-10 shooting.
• Ruiz Gasset paced Emerson defensively with nine rebounds.
• Tuesday's matchup was the fourth meeting in program history. Salem snapped a previous three-game losing streak against Emerson, who leads the overall series, 3-1.
• Salem has now won its last three season-opening games.

UP NEXT

• Salem has its home-opener on Thursday, November 13, when the squad hosts UMass Boston at 5:00 p.m.

Photo Credit: Lachlan Hall'27