WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team stormed back from a double-digit deficit to claim a 64-62 victory over Brooklyn College on Friday evening in first round action of the PNC/Ramada Inn Classic hosted by King's (Pa.) College.

With the victory the Sea Gulls (5-4) will take on either Potsdam State or King's College on Saturday in the championship game. A victory in the championship would give the Sea Gulls two tournament championships this season, as Salisbury previously won the Juniata College Championship on Nov. 20.

The Sea Gulls fell behind early as the Bulldogs (3-5) jumped out to a 4-0 lead before senior center Chris McGrew tallied the first bucket of the game for SU at the 18:11 mark. The two teams would battle back and forth over the next several minutes, as the game was tied at 12-12 with 12:46 remaining in the first stanza. Over the next five minutes, Brooklyn would go on a 10-0 run before junior forward Jason Nwosu converted a free throw to end the run at the 5:59 mark. The Sea Gulls were able to narrow the lead down to six following a lay-in by Nwosu, but the Bulldogs outscored SU 15-6 to close out the first half of action with a 38-23 lead.

Salisbury would come out in the second half determined, as the Gulls would close in on the Brooklyn lead. The Sea Gulls brought the lead down to two at 60-58, as senior guard David Pearman made a three-point shot with 4:34 remaining in the contest. Pearman then knocked down a pair of free throw attempts with 2:50 left to knot the score at 60-60. The two teams would trade points to bring the score to 62-62 before a Brooklyn turnover with 39 seconds remaining handed Salisbury the ball for a final possession. McGrew quickly converted a layup at the 31-second mark off an assist from junior guard Mike Maczko. The Bulldogs would call a timeout with 22 seconds remaining to draw up a play for its final possession. Brooklyn fired off two shots in that time, but Salisbury sophomore guard Dylan Robeson pulled down a rebound to clinch the game and gave the Sea Gulls the come-from-behind victory.

Salisbury received a career-high performance from Pearman, as the guard tallied a game-high 23 points in the victory. The Columbia, Md., native also brought down seven rebounds and finished with one steal. McGrew tallied 19 points for Salisbury and pulled down four rebounds. Maczko contributed an all-around performance in the victory, as he scored eight points, brought down nine rebounds and dished out six assists. 

Brooklyn was led by Tyshawn Russell who scored a team-high 18 points, while Amil John finished with 13 points for the Bulldogs.