ARLINGTON, Va. - The Salisbury University men's
basketball team had a chance to clinch a Capital Athletic
Conference playoff berth Wednesday night but came up empty handed.
Marymount (Va.) University took down the visiting Sea Gulls, 59-53,
before a crowd of 410 at the Verizon Sports Arena.
Salisbury senior Gary Ward (14 points) drained
a three-pointer with 1:12 left in the second half to knot the game
at 53-53. The Saints clinched the game at the free-throw line in
the final minute as the Sea Gulls got off three final shots, two of
which were three-pointers, that didn't find the bottom of the net
as time expired.
The Sea Gulls' season will come down to Saturday's matchup on
the road against CAC fourth-place foe Hood College at 4 p.m. in
Frederick, Md. Salisbury enters the regular-season finale with a
6-18 overall mark and a 4-11 CAC record. Salisbury is a half-game
up on last-place Gallaudet University (6-19, 4-12 CAC), who
completed its regular-season Wednesday night with a 46-point loss,
115-69, to first-place York (Pa.) College.
Salisbury and Gallaudet split the regular-season matchups and
both teams got swept by the top two teams, York and Mary
Washington, in the CAC. Third-place Wesley College swept Salisbury
but went 1-1 vs. Gallaudet.
Currently, Hood and St. Mary's (Md.) College are tied for
fourth-place with 8-7 CAC records. The Seahawks will meet Wesley on
Saturday. A Wesley win will secure third-place for the Wolverines
and eliminate the Sea Gulls if the maroon and gold lose to Hood. A
St. Mary's win and a Hood win Saturday would create a three-way tie
for third. Wesley is the only school among Hood and St. Mary's to
hold a win over York and Mary Washington. That gives the Wolverines
the inside track to third-place.
The Sea Gulls led 28-27 at halftime after trailing the majority
of the opening half to the Saints.
Salisbury led by seven, 39-32, after a Wesley
Sweet (six points) three-point play at the 14:39 mark in
the second half. Marymount regained the lead as the Saints
went on a 10-0 run in six minutes. The Saints largest lead of the
second half was six, 51-45, with 3:27 left in the game after a pair
of Patrick Prewitt (14 points) free throws. Marymount's Fred
Stanback added 12 points in the win.
Salisbury sophomore Greg Palmer scored a
game-high 15 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss
for the maroon and gold.
