DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team dropped their final game of the Daytona Beach Shootout to the DePauw University Tigers, 87-75, on Tuesday night at the Ocean Center Convention Center.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Greg Bloodsworth came out hot for the Sea Gulls, connecting on back-to-back three pointers to put Salisbury up 6-0 early and spark an 11-3 scoring run to start the game.
• DePauw battled back quickly, tying the game at 13 after Grant Niego made two free throws. The Tigers then took the lead a few possessions later after Niego made a layup to make it 15-13 with 12:14 left to play in the half.
• Both teams traded baskets and leads for the rest of the half. The Sea Gulls took a late lead, 42-40, with 1:05 left after Brandon Craig drove the lane and made a layup. DePauw responded on its end when Nick Wissel made a basket and drew a foul. Wissel drilled his free throw to put the Tigers up 43-42 with just under 40 seconds left and the teams went into the halftime locker room with that score.
• Both teams came out for the second half firing on offense, scoring on each of their first two possessions. After the Sea Gulls got a stop, Craig was able to get under the basket and tie the game up on a layup, 48-48 with 17:34 left in the game.
• The teams continued to trade baskets and leads for the next several minutes. Salisbury held the lead for a few minutes, 53-51, after Ryan Marshall drew a foul and made one of his free throws.
• The teams continued to trade baskets over the next several minutes. With SU down 70-67 with 5:52 left in the game, Niego drove the lane and made a layup for DePauw that sparked a 9-2 scoring run that put the Tigers up 79-69. That surge proved to be too much for the Sea Gulls to overcome, and DePauw eventually put away an 87-75 victory.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Brandon Craig finished with his second consecutive career-high night, scoring 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the floor and making all three of his free throws in just 25 minutes. Craig also tied for a team-high six rebounds and blocked two shots.
• Gary Briddell scored 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in his efforts.
• Greg Bloodsworth finished with 15 points, going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. He also added four rebounds and two assists to his line.
• Paul Garcia led the Sea Gull bench with eight points, also grabbing four rebounds.
• The Sea Gulls shot 47.5 percent (29-of-61) from the floor and made 90.0 percent (10-of-11) of their free throws.
• Salisbury won the battle on the glass, outrebound DePauw 33-26. The Sea Gulls turned the ball over only 10 times.

DEPAUW GAME NOTES

• Elijah Hales led the Tigers with 31 points and five rebounds.
• Nick Wissel and Grant Niego each scored 16 points. Niego also had a game-high seven rebounds.
• The Tigers had the shooting advantage, shooting 54.4 percent (31-for-57) compared to Salisbury's 47.5 percent (29-for-61) from the floor.
• DePauw turned the ball over a mere five times in the game.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury will travel to Reading, Pa., on Wednesday, Dec. 29 to battle with Albright College in its first game of the Albright Tournament.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the George C. Bollman Center.

Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 186 conference championships and 41 Academic All-Americans.

To learn more about the tradition of excellence with Sea Gull Athletics, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.