FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team endured a heartbreaking defeat to the University of California Santa Cruz Banana Slugs on Saturday afternoon, falling 65-63 at the William M. Anderson Center on the campus of the University of Mary Washington.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sea Gulls leaned on the veterans early. Senior Jordan Oates and graduate student Cameron Heard combined for nine points in the opening five minutes to help the maroon and gold build a quick 12-6 lead.
• The Banana Slugs responded with a 9-2 run spanning nearly five minutes, claiming a 15-14 advantage with 9:48 to go in the half. Calvin Thomas caught fire, scoring eight consecutive points to power a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to return the lead to the Sea Gulls, 24-17 with six minutes to play in the period.
• Aside from one Salisbury free throw, the scoring was silenced on both ends for nearly three minutes before Heard sank a pair from the charity stripe to extend the lead, 27-17.
• Santa Cruz outscored the Sea Gulls 9-6 in the final minutes, setting the halftime score at 33-26 in favor of Salisbury.
• The wind caught the Sea Gull wings in the second half. SU swung the gates to the period open with an 11-3 run that put them up by 15, 44-29, through nearly four and a half minutes.
• Santa Cruz slugged back, scoring 16 of the next 18 points to slice the margin to one, 46-45, with 10 minutes remaining in the affair.
• Reed Rebstock turned a three-point play to push Salisbury's lead to four, but the Banana Slugs scored four in a row to tie the contest at 49-49 less than two minutes later. A Sidney Lebonzo jumper briefly returned the lead to Salisbury before Santa Cruz parried with a layup to restore the deadlock.
• A 6-2 Santa Cruz rally helped the Banana Slugs build a 57-53 lead with just under six minutes remaining. A pair of perfect trips to the line by Buddah Spencer and Oates helped counter a three-pointer, but the Slugs still led 60-57 with four minutes to play.
• Salisbury needed a basket and Rebstock answered the call, converting his second and-one of the afternoon to tie the battle at 60. A free throw put the Banana Slugs back in front by one, but Heard sank a look from the free-throw line a minute later to return the tie, 61-61.
• With 1:19 to play, Santa Cruz scored a critical basket to retake the lead, 63-61. Oates wrote back with a jumper to tie the contest once more, but the Banana Slugs found the nylon with 3.7 seconds left to steal the 65-63 win.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Jordan Oates logged his 10th double-double of the season and the 27th of his career, tallying team-highs with 15 points and 14 rebounds while adding a pair of blocks. Oates vaulted from eighth place to sixth in the program record book in career rebounds (763) on Saturday, surpassing Sylvester Burke '75 and Kevin Cromer '93.
• Calvin Thomas tallied 12 points and a pair of rebounds on the afternoon.
• Reed Rebstock narrowly missed a double-double, picking up eight points and nine rebounds.
• Brendan Davis finished with eight points, five rebounds, and five assists.
• Cameron Heard tallied seven points, while Buddah Spencer finished with six points and a pair of rebounds.
• The Sea Gulls shot 21-of-61 from the field, made three from beyond the arc, and hit 85.7 percent (18-of-21) of their looks from the free-throw line.

UCSC GAME NOTES

• Zino Okah finished with a game-high 21 points while adding three rebounds.
• Joseph Espy totaled 17 points with six rebounds and a block.
• Ryan Wilson dished out a team-high five assists and added four points.
• Nelson Etuk collected six points and a team-high four blocks.
• The Banana Slugs shot 24-of-57 from the floor, 5-of-24 from beyond the arc, and 12-of-17 from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT

• With Winter Break in the rearview mirror, Salisbury will be back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 31, traveling to Arlington, Va. to battle the Marymount University Saints.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Converse Family Fieldhouse.

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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.