Trailblazers set to battle Vikings in MASCAC Quarterfinals after splitting season series
North Adams, MA- The MCLA women's basketball team hasn't qualified for the MASCAC championships since the 2012 season. That streak has been put to rest as the fourth seeded Trailblazers get ready to host the fifth seeded Salem State Vikings tomorrow night at 6pm in a MASCAC Quarterfinal matchup. The meeting will the third this season between the teams and will be the rubber match.
Each team was triumphant on their respective home floor. The Trailiblazers held serve back on January 13th earning a 47-41 win over the Vikings in North Adams. The two teams would meet again, this time on February 6th in Salem where the Vikings won 72-61. Interestingly enough, both games were played with different styles.
In the first matchup in North Adams, both teams struggled to shoot the ball. The Trailblazers connected on just 25% of their field goal attempts, while the Vikings converted on 33%. The two teams were sloppy with the ball combining for 49 turnovers. The game was tied at 17-17 at halftime before MCLA took the lead for keeps in the third quarter. They held off the Vikings in the fourth to earn their first MASCAC win of the season.
The second matchup in Salem was played at a much faster and high scoring pace. MCLA led at halftime 38-31 and 50-47 entering the final quarter of play. The Vikings however, used a 25 point closing quarter to pull away from the Trailblazers. Each team shot the ball better than the first meeting, but the more important statistic was each side cutting down their turnovers and rebounding. In MCLA's win, they outrebounded Salem 45-35. In the Vikings win, they reversed that margin outrebounding the Trailblazers 52-34.
Each side boasts a pair of players that can carry their team to victory. The Trailblazers are led by the duo of junior Kayla Hotaling and freshman Karina Mattera. Hotaling is MCLA's leading scorer and rebounder and is a threat on both ends of the floor. Mattera is a slashing guard who can score in bunches. Hotaling was held in check by the Vikings in the first two meetings averaging 9.5 points and 11 rebounds. Mattera had solid showings in both contests against the Vikings averaging 16.5 points in the two games. She scored 20 points in the loss in February.
Salem State is led by guard Kaitlyn Bryan. She is one of the top shooters in the league and had some success against MCLA. She scored 16 points in the loss, but carried the Vikings with a 28 point, 9 rebound effort in the win. Bryan isn't alone however, as Melissa Saad can be a handful as well. In the win over MCLA, Saad collected 16 points and also grabbed 9 boards for the Vikings.
The winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal will move on to face the top seed, Westfield State, on Thursday. In last year's tournament, the Bridgewater State Bears earned the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA championship.