SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University women's basketball team fell to Capital Athletic Conference foe St. Mary's (Md.) College, 59-53, Wednesday evening at the Maggs Center in a match of two first-year head coaches.

SU sophomore Kylie Hall (11 points and 10 rebounds) and junior Monica Merkel (13 points and 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for the Sea Gulls. Salisbury (2-6, 0-2 CAC) scored 22 points off 29 Seahawk turnovers and got 12 points from its bench.

The maroon and gold trailed by as many as 20 points in the game and went into halftime down 16, 37-21. SU battled back to close the gap in the second half. The Gulls shot 42 percent in the second half, a 10 percent improvement from the first half, and was 3-for-5 from three-point range.

St. Mary's junior Allie Scott, one of only seven dressed players, led the game in scoring with 20 points. The forward is averaging 17 points a game this season.

SU coach Charisse Mapp and company will get another opportunity against Barb Bausch and her Seahawks in two months (February 2) in St. Mary's City, Md.

The Sea Gulls will close out their 2007 schedule on Saturday at 2 p.m. as they host York (Pa.) College in a CAC game. This will be Salisbury's last game until the New Year.