Box Score FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The fifth-seeded Salisbury University women's basketball team battled back from an early deficit but ultimately drew the short straw against the fourth-seeded Finlandia Lions, falling 72-60 in the first round of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Tournament, hosted by the University of Mary Washington on Thursday evening at the William M. Anderson Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After falling behind 10-0 in the game's first five-plus minutes, the Sea Gulls stormed back with the next nine points. Nadia Bullock hit a pair of free throws, then Abby Wilkinson and Emily Dilger each connected on field goals and Bullock knocked down a trey to make it 10-9 with 1:57 remaining in the first quarter.
• Natalie Bartle stopped the bleeding for the Lions with a three, reinforcing the Finlandia lead to 13-9 as the first came to an end.
• Dilger opened the second quarter with a pair of free throws that set off an 8-0 SU run, capped by two Alex Bull foul shots to make it 18-13 at the 7:16 mark. FU eventually chipped away and evened the score at 21-21 on a Bethany Baldwin layup with 1:52 to go.
• Wilkinson sank a layup but Bartle converted a three-point play and Martina Jahfetson sank a triple to make it 27-23. After two more free throws from Bull, Ashlynn Burrows beat the buzzer with a three to give SU a 28-27 advantage at the break.
• The teams traded field goals to open the third quarter, then Dilger made a layup that launched a 10-2 Salisbury run. Wilkinson's layup capped the surge and built the Sea Gull advantage to 40-31 at the 5:08 mark.
• Undeterred, Finlandia strung together its own 12-0 push, taking a 43-40 lead on a Maija Rice jumper at the 2:11 mark. Bullock and Jahfetson traded triples, then after two Dilger free throws Jahfetson knocked down another from deep, putting the Lions up 49-45 at the end of the third.
• Salisbury maintained pace with the Lions through the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, using a Dilger layup to keep within one possession at 56-53 with 5:10 to go. From there FU began to pull away, though, using a Baldwin and-one to springboard into an 8-1 run and build the lead to 64-54 in just over a minute.
• The Sea Gulls made one last surge, using two Bull free throws and jumpers from Hailey Ader and Burrows to get within 64-60 with 1:15 to go, but Bartle nailed a dagger of a jump shot and the Lions salted it away at the free throw line, moving onto the semifinals with a 72-60 win.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Emily Dilger posted a double-double in her final career game for the Sea Gulls, scoring a team-high 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting with 12 rebounds, plus three assists and two steals. The double-double is Dilger's second this season and the seventh of her career.
• Ashlynn Burrows netted 11 points (5-of-13) and hauled in four boards.
• Abby Wilkinson posted 10 points (4-of-11) with three assists.
• Alex Bull went for nine points, six boards and three assists, while Nadia Bullock chipped in eight points off the bench.
• The Sea Gulls hit on 29.2 percent (19-of-65) of their field goal attempts, going 4-of-12 (33.3 percent) from three-point range and 18-of-24 (75 percent) from the free throw line.
• Salisbury assisted on 13 of its 19 field goals, with Bull, Dilger, Tori Rumbaugh and Wilkinson accounting for three helpers apiece.
• SU was outrebounded 44-42 overall but won the battle on the offensive glass, 14-10. The Sea Gulls won the turnover margin 16-12.

FINLANDIA GAME NOTES

• Natalie Bartle led all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-27 shooting despite going just 2-of-11 from long range. The C2C Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year also clocked in with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Elli Djerf complimented Bartle with 16 points (6-of-9), hitting on 3-of-4 three-point attempts, with five boards and four assists.
• Bethany Baldwin (13) and Martina Jahfetson (nine) combined for 22 points off the bench.
• The Lions shot 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the floor, going 10-of-31 (32.3 percent) from distance and 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe.
• Bartle and Djerf each had two of FU's five steals.

THE WRAP

• Salisbury finishes the 2022-23 season with a 7-19 record.

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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, Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse 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, 188 conference championships and 43 Academic All-Americans.

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