NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The third-seeded Salisbury University men's basketball team was knocked out of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Tournament in the semifinal round after falling to the second-seeded Mary Washington Eagles, 67-60, on Friday night at the Freeman Center in Newport News, Va.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams took a few minutes to settle in, with Mary Washington breaking the ice first after Riley Welch knocked down a three to start the scoring at the 17:25 mark.
• Johnny Fierstein got Salisbury on the board with a pair of free throws on the next possession that started a 10-0 run to put the Sea Gulls up 10-3 with just under 14 minutes left in the half.
• The Eagles responded with a 16-2 run over the next five minutes that was stifled after Gary Briddell drilled a deep ball to cut into Mary Washington's lead, 19-15, and get the Salisbury offense going again.
• The teams traded a few more baskets, but Saunders and Da'Shawn Cook began to take over for the Eagles. Cook and Saunders scored the last 15 out of 17 points for Mary Washington in a 17-11 run to end the half and send the teams into the locker room with a score of 36-26 in favor of the Eagles.
• After a few baskets by both teams to start the half, Briddell drew a foul under the basket and knocked down both free throws to spark a quick 5-0 run that brought the Sea Gulls to within four, 42-38, with 14 minutes left in regulation.
• Saunders and Cook knocked down a jumper and three-pointer on back-to-back possessions for Mary Washington to jump-start a 9-0 run. A few minutes later, the Eagles found themselves with their largest lead of the day, 56-42, with under 10 minutes to go.
• Down 10 points with 3:37 on the clock, Jordan Oates found Brandon Craig under the basket for a layup that sparked a 9-2 Sea Gull run, highlighted by a Greg Bloodsworth trey, to cut into the Eagles lead, 63-60, with a minute to go.
• Forced to put Mary Washington on the line, Riley Welch knocked down four free throws in the waning moments of the game to give the game it's final score of 67-60.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Greg Bloodsworth led the Sea Gull offense with a game-high 19 points, including going 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed four rebounds.
• Brandon Craig scored 14 points, hauled in six boards and stole the ball a team-high four times.
• Gary Briddell scored 11 points after he shot 3-for-7 from the field and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line. He also reeled in four rebounds.
• Johnny Fierstein recorded a team-high seven rebounds and four assists. He also chipped in with six points.
• Ryan Marshall led the Sea Gull bench with five points

MARY WASHINGTON GAME NOTES

• Mary Washington outshot Salisbury, shooting 47.1 percent (14-for-51) from the field compared to Salisbury's 32.2 percent (19-for-59).
• Anias Saunders led the Eagles with 17 points on 7-for-14 shooting. He also hauled in six rebounds and dished out four assists.
• Da'Shawn Cook scored 15 points, including going 3-for-6 from deep.
• Riley Welch added 12 points and a team-high five assists.

THE WRAP

• Salisbury finishes the 2021-22 season with a 10-12 overall record and a 2-3 record in conference play.

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.