SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University men's basketball squad took the court on Monday evening to square off against Capital Athletic Conference opponent Stevenson University, suffering a heartbreaking 82-76 loss despite a valiant effort in the closing minutes of the contest.

The Sea Gulls (7-12, 2-8 CAC) dominated much of the first half, leading by as many as nine points, but a late-half rally by Stevenson tied up the game a 30 apiece with one minute remaining and a subsequent steal and lay-in by the Mustangs (6-14, 2-9) gave them a two-point advantage going into the second half.

Senior center Chris McGrew quickly earned back those two points in the second half, going 2-for-2 from the line to tie up the contest at 32. Undeterred, the Mustangs regained the lead on the next drive down the court – maintaining an advantage for just under five minutes – before a lay-in by junior guard Mike Atkins gave Salisbury its first lead of the half.

The final minutes of the contest consisted of a heated, back-and-forth battle for the lead. Stevenson began to pull away inside of six minutes, their ten-point advantage being the largest of the day for either team, but Salisbury rallied back with less than two minutes left to cut the Mustang lead to five. As the seconds ticked off the clock, the Sea Gulls continued their fight but were unable to surmount the Mustang lead.

McGrew led scoring for Salisbury, netting a game-high 21 points. He was one of four high-scoring Sea Gulls; Atkins (16 points), junior forward Mike Maczko (18 points) and senior guard David Pearman (13 points) all registered double-digit numbers in the effort.

Salisbury now travels to CAC opponent Marymount (Va.) University on Feb. 2 before returning to Maggs Physical Activities Center for three consecutive contests. Tip-off for the game against the Saints is set for 8 p.m.