ALTOONA, Pa. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team showed no rust after a three-week layoff as the Sea Gull offense scored season-high 102 points in the team's first action of 2022. Salisbury overpowered the Penn State Altoona Lions, 102-81, on Wednesday afternoon.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Greg Bloodsworth got the scoring started for Salisbury after he drilled a three-point shot at the 19:02 mark that sparked a 9-2 scoring run to start the game for the Sea Gulls.
• The Lions battled back and answered with a 9-2 scoring run of their own, capped off by a Mason Bush three-pointer that tied it at 11 with 15:36 left to go in the first half.
• Sean Carr got the offense rolling for Salisbury, scoring nine of the next 16 points in a 16-1 run that put the Sea Gulls up 27-12 with 10:30 to go in the first half.
• Altoona chipped away at the Salisbury lead over the next few minutes. After Casey Parkins made a three-pointer, the Salisbury lead was down to two, 34-32, with just over six minutes left to play.
• Brandon Craig responded for the Sea Gulls after he drove down the lane in the ensuing possession and made a tough layup, drawing a foul and completing the three-point play to give Salisbury a five-point lead, 40-35, with 5:21 left in the first.
• Andruw Harman drew a foul with 27 seconds left, and after he made both free throws the teams went into the halftime locker room with a 47-45 Salisbury lead.
• The Sea Gulls came out hot to start the second half, going on a 14-4 run that was capped off after Carr made a jumper to put Salisbury up 62-49 with 15:18 left to play.
• The Lions battled back and got the deficit down to nine points after Robbie Hicks drilled a three to make it 78-69 in favor of the Sea Gulls with 7:16 left on the clock, but Bloodsworth responded with a midrange jumper and Cameron Heard drilled a three-point shot to help Salisbury pull away.
• Salisbury got out to its largest lead of the game of 21 points when Paul Garcia drained a pair of free throws in the waning moments of the contest to bookend a 12-4 run and give the game its final score, 102-81.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Salisbury's 102 points were the most scored by the team since a 106-68 win over Rosemont in the 2019-20 season opener.
• The Sea Gulls shot 56.7 percent (38-for-67) from the field and 52 percent (13-for-25) from three-point range compared to Altoona's 37.3 percent shooting (25-for-67) and 23.8 percent from range (5-for-21).
• Salisbury outrebounded Altoona, 43-32.
• Brandon Craig led the Sea Gull offense with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in just 23 minutes. He also added seven rebounds and six assists in his efforts. Craig's 21 points matched his career-high set in Salisbury's last contest against DePauw on Dec. 21.
• Gary Briddell did a little bit of everything to help pace the Sea Gulls in the victory. Briddell scored 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting and 3-for-7 from deep with seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
• Greg Bloodsworth scored 17 points and dished out a career-high nine assists. He also added six boards to his line.
• Jordan Oates recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
• Sean Carr scored a career-high 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He also added four rebounds and two blocks in the win
• Cameron Heard scored 13 points off a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, including going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

PENN STATE ALTOONA GAME NOTES

• Andruw Harman led the Lions with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
• Varun Ajjarapu scored 17 points. He also added seven steals and six assists.
• PJ Charles added 14 points and seven rebounds.
• The Lions shot 86.7 percent (26-for-30) from the charity stripe.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury will host the Washington Adventist Shock on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Maggs PAC in Salisbury, Md.

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.