GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team survived a late Oberlin comeback bid, sneaking out of Hitchcock Arena with a 65-64 victory over the Yeomen on Friday evening to open the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both defenses controlled the pace in the opening seven minutes, with each scoring unit mustering just 11 points by the 13:05 mark. Shortly after, Sidney Lebonzo powered through contact in the paint to earn a three-point play before Calvin Thomas enjoyed a perfect trip to the stripe to put Salisbury on top, 16-11.
• The sides traded baskets over the next three minutes and the margin held at five, 24-19. Jordan Oates tacked on five points in just under four minutes, leading a 10-2 SU charge that gave the maroon and gold a 34-21 lead.
• The Yeomen used a 9-3 run over the final four minutes to whittle away at the margin, trailing 39-30 at halftime.
• It took just over 10 minutes for either side to score consecutive baskets from the field in the second half. The teams cut the scoring directly down the middle at 19-19 to begin the second period.
• The Yeomen went on a 9-3 stretch spanning approximately three minutes to cut the gap to three, 61-58, with 6:07 to go. Cameron Heard executed an and-one chance less than a minute later to push the lead back to six, but an Oberlin jumper yanked the margin back down to four, 64-60.
• There seemed to be lids on each basket in the final stretch. Each offense was held without a make from the field across the final 4:45, with the Yeomen outscoring the Sea Gulls 4-1 on free throws in that span.
• Oberlin had one final chance with a fraction of a second on the clock, but the desperation heave was denied as Salisbury survived the comeback bid, 65-64.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Jordan Oates posted his third double-double of the season, tallying 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
• Cameron Heard finished with 12 points and three boards while adding pairs of assists and steals.
• Calvin Thomas collected eight points and five rebounds on the evening.
• Buddah Spencer earned five points and five boards.
• Aidan Camper and Kaiden Mines each dished out three assists.
• The Sea Gulls shot 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the field, 28 percent (7-of-25) from beyond the arc, and 80 percent (12-of-15) from the stripe.

OBERLIN GAME NOTES

• JJ Gray led all scorers with 17 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
• Will Bousquette finished with 12 points and a team-high eight boards.
• Anastasis Spyroglou and Dimitrije Radusinovic each cleaned the glass seven times in the loss.
• Yuuki Okubo led the team in assists (three) and steals (two) on the night.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury concludes its run in the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 18 against SUNY Brockport.
• Tip-off from Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena is slated for 1 p.m.

---

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 men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.