BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Salisbury University women's basketball team got in a groove in the second half but the deficit was too large to come back from as they fell to the Capital University Comets 68-45 on the first day of the Steel Club Classic Friday afternoon at Johnston Hall.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Capital opened up scoring for the contest as Bri O'Connor drove to the basket for the Comets. Kayla Nieberlein quickly responded for the Sea Gulls on a layup of her own with Hailey Ader passing the rock to record the assist.
• The two teams went back and forth for the rest of the opening quarter with Ader and Cora Shafer also scoring for Salisbury. The Comets entered the second quarter with a four-point lead over the Sea Gulls.
• The Comets controlled the second quarter, opening up with a 13-4 run in the first five minutes. Capital would go on to outscore Salisbury 23 to eight during the entire quarter, heading into halftime with a 35-16 lead.
• The third quarter saw Salisbury's offense wake up a bit, bolstered by Nicole Miller and Alex Bull's three-pointers. Tatiana Virata and Nieberlien added to the scoring with free throws while Ader added a layup.
• The Sea Gulls attempted to make a comeback but it was too little too late, going on a 13-4 run in the final five minutes of the contest. Salisbury's run was led by Sym Deloatch who knocked down a trifecta of layups while adding in a free-throw.

 
SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Hailey Ader co-led the Sea Gulls with eight points, going 4-of-10 from the floor while adding four rebounds and an assist.
• Nicole Miller additionally provided Salisbury with eight points, knocking down two three-pointers and two free throws while also grabbing three rebounds.
• Sym Deloatch added seven points of her own, knocking down 3-of-6 from the floor, and added a team-high six rebounds as well as an assist.
• The Sea Gulls shot 16-of-47 overall, going 3-of-16 from beyond the arc, and 10-of-13 at the charity stripe.

 
CAPITAL GAME NOTES

• Laney Murphy scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, going 5-of-12 from three and 1-of-2 at the free-throw line while also adding three rebounds.
• Samaree Perkins provided a double-double for the Comets, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
• Bri O'Connor added 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and provided five rebounds and three assists.
• The Comets went 27-of-61 from the floor, hitting 9-of-27 from three-point land, and 5-of-11 at the free-throw line.

 
UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will take on the Neumann University Knights in the consolation match of the Steel Club Classic hosted by Moravian University.
• Tip-off is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30 at Johnston Hall in Bethlehem, Pa.

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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.