FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team took down Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) rival Mary Washington, 83-73, in an offensive clinic on Wednesday night.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Salisbury was lights out from to field to start the game. The Sea Gulls started the game on a 14-3 win that saw the maroon and gold combine to go 5-for-6 from shooting in their first six possessions. The run was capped off by a three by Gary Briddell three and a half minutes into the game.
• A minute later, Anias Saunders responded for Mary Washington with back-to-back threes to stifle the run and cut the Sea Gull lead to 16-9.
• The two teams jostled for position throughout the first half with Salisbury maintaining a three-point lead, 27-24, with just over eight minutes to go in the first. Greg Bloodsworth sparked a 12-4 run after he drew a foul on a three-point attempt and converted two free throws. A three by Jordan Oates and a Bloodsworth jumper on back-to-back possessions pushed the Salisbury lead to 11, 39-28, with just over five minutes left in the half.
• Both teams continued to trade baskets in the closing minutes of the first. Briddell broke away from the Mary Washington defense and score a layup on the fast break with 21 seconds on the clock to make it 53-38 in favor of Salisbury and cap off a first half in which the Sea Gulls shot a blistering 71.4 percent (20-for-28) from the field and 76.9 percent (10-for-13) from deep.
• Salisbury continued the sharpshooting in the second half and got out to its largest lead of the day, 71-54, after Johnny Fierstein made a tough layup under the basket with 7:14 left to play.
• The Sea Gulls went on cruise control for the rest of the game and continued the pressure on the Eagles. The Sea Gulls made all of six of their free-throw attempts in the final minute of the game to ice the game and take the 83-73 win.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• The Sea Gulls outshot the Eagles 57.7 percent (30-for-52) from the field compared to Mary Washington's 42.9 percent (24-for-56).
• Salisbury also shot a blistering 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from three-point range.
• Gary Briddell paced the Sea Gull offense with a team-high 25 points on 7-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-3 from deep. The fifth-year also grabbed five boards and handed out two assists on the night.
• Greg Bloodsworth scored 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting and went 3-of-5 from the beyond the arc. He also dished out four assists in his efforts.
• Brandon Craig added 11 points and recorded a season-high four blocks.
• Jordan Oates fell just a point shy of a double-double with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting, all from three-point range. Oates also hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds.
• Sean Carr chipped in seven points off the bench.

MARY WASHINGTON GAME NOTES

• Anias Saunders scored a game-high 29 points for the Eagles. Saunders went 10-for-23 from the field and 9-for-16 from range. He also added a game-high seven assists.
• Riley Welch scored 14 points and went 4-for-6 from deep.
• Ra'Shawn Cook scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds.
• The Eagles shot 51.6 percent (16-for-31) from three-point range.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury will travel to Newport News, Va. to take part in the C2C Men's Basketball Championship hosted by Christopher Newport.
• The tournament is set to take place from Feb. 24-26.
• Game information will be posted on SUSeaGulls.com.

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.