SALISBURY, Md. – A strong defensive effort and timely shooting allowed the Salisbury University men's basketball team to secure their third win in a row with a 75-65 Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) victory over the Mary Washington Eagles on Wednesday.

THE RUNDOWN

Final Score: Salisbury 75, Mary Washington 65
Records: Salisbury (8-9, 2-0 CAC) | Mary Washington (11-6, 1-1 CAC)
Location: Maggs PAC – Salisbury, Md.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Salisbury grabbed the early 5-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game after Mary Washington missed its first five shots of the game, all three-pointers. Mike Ward drained the opening basket of the game on a corner three off an assist by Johnny Fierstein 2:30 into the game.
• Mary Washington gained the 8-5 lead with 14:27 on the clock when Drew Johnson made a three-pointer. The Eagles stretched their advantage to as much as five, 16-11, with a Riley Welch three.
• A Bryan Boehlert three-pointer at 10:57 sparked a run by Salisbury that allowed the Sea Gulls to surge ahead to 38-31 with four minutes left in the half. During their run, the Sea Gulls made nine straight shots, including six three-pointers.
• Mary Washington was able to trim the Salisbury lead before halftime but the Sea Gulls took a 38-36 lead into the half.
• The game was tied three times in the early parts of the second half with Mary Washington taking a slim 49-47 lead off a Welch three-pointer six minutes into the period.
• Cameron Heard quickly tied the game at 49 on the next possession after a left-handed floater in the paint.
• The teams traded baskets on back-to-back possessions tied the game again at 51 before Salisbury rifled off a game-sealing 14-3 scoring run to put the Sea Gulls up 65-54 with just over seven minutes to go after a Lucas Martin lay-in.
• Salisbury stifled the Mary Washington offense as the Eagles finished the final 10 minutes of the game 4-of-15 from the floor with two of the field goals coming in the last minute of the contest.
• Free throws by Gary Briddell and Devin Garrett in the waning seconds of the game sealed the CAC win for the Sea Gulls.

GAME NOTES

• Bryan Boehlert and Gary Briddell each notched a team-best 13 points. Boehlert recorded his career-best on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the three-point line. Briddell also added eight rebounds.
• Mike Ward and Cameron Heard tallied 11 points and four rebounds apiece. Heard was 5-of-6 from the field.
• Johnny Fierstein recorded a game-high 10 rebounds and seven assists along with nine points to help pace the offense.
• Devin Garrett scored eight points and chipped in with five boards, three steals and two blocks off the bench.
• Lucas Martin registered six rebounds, five points and three blocks.
• As a team, Salisbury shot 44.3 percent (27-61) from the field and held Mary Washington to only 32.8 percent (21-64) shooting.
• Salisbury won the rebound battle (45-35) over Mary Washington.
• Salisbury shot a season-best 88.9 percent (8-9) from the charity stripe.
• Mary Washington was led by Drew Johnson, who scored 11 points and reeled in nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury will continue CAC play when they host the St. Mary's Seahawks on Saturday, Jan. 18.
• The game is part of a doubleheader and is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.
• Live stats and video are available.