VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team bounced back into the win column on Sunday afternoon, earning an 86-68 victory over the Regent University Royals at Bayside Baptist Church.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After splitting the first 10 points of the contest, Salisbury dominated the opening period. Leroy Hamilton dropped 12 points to fuel a mammoth 28-4 Sea Gull swing, turning a 5-5 deadlock into a 33-9 advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the half.
• A pair of Royal baskets slowed the run, but Salisbury outpaced Regent 10-4 to close the first stanza, toting a 43-17 lead at the break.
• The Sea Gulls established their largest lead of the affair in the second half's starting minutes, scoring eight of the first 10 points to balloon the margin to 32 points, 51-19.
• Regent responded with a 10-2 stretch to tighten the margin to 24, but Buddah Spencer and Jordan Oates combined to score nine points across the next three minutes, pushing the lead back to 31, 66-35.
• The Royals carved into the deficit late and outscored the Sea Gulls 14-5 in the final minutes, but Salisbury fended off the hosts to secure the eventual 86-68 victory.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Leroy Hamilton led the Salisbury offense, tying his career-high with 16 points on a 7-of-10 shooting clip while adding three assists and two rebounds.
• Calvin Thomas netted his third double-digit scoring day of the campaign with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Thomas added a trio of boards in the win.
• Jordan Oates finished with 10 points, good for his fourth 10+ point showing in the last five games. He also led the Sea Gulls with six rebounds.
• Sidney Lebonzo dropped eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 effort from the floor.
• Reed Rebstock tallied seven points and four rebounds.
• Brendan Davis added seven points and nabbed a game-high three steals.
• The Sea Gulls shot 57.6 percent (34-of-59) from the floor, 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from beyond the arc, and 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the free-throw line.

REGENT GAME NOTES

• Marion Brown posted a double-double, scoring a game-high 17 points while collecting 10 rebounds.
• Kristofer Norman finished close behind Brown with 14 points.
• Joakim Marie-Joseph added five points while hauling in a game-high nine rebounds.
• The Royals shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field, 17.6 percent (3-of-17) from three-point range, and 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the charity stripe.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls and Royals meet for the second time in four days on Wednesday, Jan. 24 when Regent makes the trip to Salisbury.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. from Maggs Physical Activities Center.

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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.