After winning their quarterfinal games on Wednesday, Salem State and Anna Maria are headed to the semifinals of the MASCAC Women's Basketball Tournament.

Salem State 64, Worcester State 61 

SALEM, Mass.: Despite being down as much as 16 (47-31) with less than four minutes in the third quarter (03:37), the No. 4 seed Salem State women's basketball team utilized a 23-12 fourth quarter and topped No. 5 seed Worcester State, 64-61, Wednesday evening in Twohig Gymnasium. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After an early Amayah McConney (Salem, Mass.) layup gave the squad a quick 4-2 lead, Worcester State's offense caught momentum and went on a 10-0 run for a 12-4 advantage, which led to a Vikings timeout. During the Lancers' early surge, Lena Waldron paced the offense with 10 points. Coming out of the break, both sides clamped down defensively, and Worcester took a 14-5 lead heading into the second.
• Throughout the second, Worcester continued its strong start from the first and found itself up 10 (26-16) with 3:10 left until half. However, the Vikings chipped away at the deficit and pulled within five (30-25) with 1:08 left in the frame thanks to a 9-4 surge. Yamilette Guerrero (Salem, Mass.) paced the squad with seven-straight points, highlighted by a three that made it a five-point game. Thanks to strong defensive play until the break, the Vikes went into the half down only seven (32-25).
• Throughout the third quarter, there was more back-and-forth play from both sides, and with less than four minutes left in the quarter (03:37), the Lancers grabbed their largest lead of the contest (16) when Mia Haynes made a layup, putting them up 47-31. Despite the large deficit, Salem closed the frame strong thanks to a 10-2 run that allowed the squad to go into the fourth down eight (49-41). Shakera Fullenwilder (Phenix City, Ala.) played a key role in the run, scoring 5 points. 
• In the fourth quarter, it was all Salem State as the Blue and Orange stormed back and pulled within one (52-51) courtesy of a 10-3 run, prompting a Worcester State timeout with 4:24 left. Ernidia Goncalves (Everett, Mass.) led the surge with four points for the squad.
• Coming out of the break, the Vikings grabbed their first lead since 09:08 of the first (4-2) when Gurerrero converted on a lay-in thanks to a nice look from Sunali Carter (Brockton, Mass.) , who capitalized on a Lancers turnover. Worcester State, however, would not go quietly, as Hannah Lomonaco nailed a three-pointer that made it 61-58 with 16 seconds left, prompting a Lancers timeout.
• After the timeout, Guerrero knocked down two clutch free throws and put the Vikes up 63-58 with 14 seconds left. Even with a late three by Haynes, it would not be enough as Salem completed the comeback for a 64-61 win.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Guerrero led all scorers with a career-high 28 points on 10-17 shooting, along with going 2-3 beyond the arc. 
• Goncalves was the squad's other scorer in double figures with 12 points, and she also brought down a team-high 11 boards. Her double-double was her second on the season, 43rd of her career.
• On the defensive end, three different Vikings finished with three or more steals, led by Goncalves' five. Guerrero and Maria Orfanos (Lynn, Mass.) both finished with four steals apiece.
• For Worcester State, Waldron led the team with 19 points. Three others in Worcester's lineup also ended the contest with 10-plus points, with Aydan Gulliver finishing with 11 points and Haynes and Alana Smith each having 10 points respectively. 
• Smith led Worcester on the glass with 15 rebounds, and Waldron was not far behind with 13, as the only two Lancers with 10 or more rebounds.
• Salem has now beaten Worcester in all three matchups this season.
• The Vikings have now won their last three MASCAC quarterfinal contests, with two of those three coming against the Lancers.

UP NEXT: 

 Salem State will head to #2 Framingham State for a 6 pm tipoff on Friday.

Anna Maria 96, Westfield State 70 

WESTFIELD, Mass. - Anna Maria College defeated No. 3-seeded Westfield State University 96-70 in the Quarterfinals of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Playoffs on Wednesday night at the Woodward Center.

With the win, the AMCATS advance to the MASCAC Semifinals and will face No. 1-seeded Bridgewater State University on Friday, February 27, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m.

After dropping both regular-season meetings to the Owls, Anna Maria responded with a season-high 96 points, outscoring Westfield in all four quarters to secure the victory.

Anna Maria came out firing in the opening quarter behind Meaghan Doyle, who knocked down a pair of three-pointers for 12 points in the first 10 minutes to give the AMCATS a 21-15 lead after one. The AMCATS continued their offensive surge in the second quarter, scoring 28 points with seven different players appearing on the boxscore to build a 49-36 advantage heading into the halftime break.

Arianna Gonzalez took over in the third quarter, scoring 13 points in the period as Anna Maria extended its lead to 75-55 heading into the final frame. The AMCATS closed out the game by outscoring the Owls 21-18 over the final 10 minutes to punch their ticket to the semifinal round.

Gonzalez and Doyle led the way, combining for 50 points while each recorded career highs with 27 and 23 points, respectively. Gonzalez posted a double-double with 12 rebounds to go along with five assists, while Doyle added seven rebounds and five assists. Sarah O'Connor finished with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Hannah Baxter and Kimani Wilburn provided a spark off the bench with nine points apiece, combining to shoot 7-for-10 from the field.