SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team endured a heartbreaker on Monday afternoon, falling in the final seconds of overtime to the Lancaster Bible College Chargers by a 94-92 score inside Maggs Gymnasium in the team's final contest of 2024.
After a 40-minute battle,
Buddah Spencer freed himself up for a mid-range look to put SU on the board in overtime.
Jordan Oates answered a Charger layup with a finish of his own before
Kedrick Frink finished in transition to give the maroon and gold a 90-89 lead with just under two minutes to go.
LBC connected from range on their next trip down, but
Brendan Davis converted a tough driving lay-in to tie the contest at 92 with 47 grains of sand left in the hourglass. The Chargers found their winner with six seconds left in the contest to set the 94-92 final.
The Sea Gulls (11-4) got off to a hot start in the calendar year's finale as Oates and
Reed Rebstock combining for seven points in the first six minutes to power a 12-3 run. The guests penned a prompt response, netting 13 of the next 15 points to take a 16-14 lead with nine minutes left in the half.
The Chargers (7-5) responded to back-to-back baskets from Spencer and
Aidan Camper with a 13-4 stretch, taking a 29-23 lead with just over six minutes left in the afternoon's opening stanza. The hosts punched back with 12 of the ensuing 16 tallies, bringing a narrow advantage into the half's final three minutes before six makes from the stripe helped LBC lead by two at the break, 39-37.
The visitors tallied five against SU's three in the first two minutes of the second half before a 7-0 Sea Gull swing returned the lead to the maroon and gold through five minutes, 47-44. LBC charged back in front, surrounding an Oates layup with eight points to go up 52-49 with under 14 minutes remaining.
SU used strong shooting from the stripe to keep pace across the next three minutes and change, outpacing the Chargers 10-9 with eight points from the line to trail 61-59. A 12-point split followed five straight LBC points, setting the score at 72-65 with seven minutes left in regulation.
The Sea Gulls yanked the momentum back in their favor with a 14-1 run spanning nearly four minutes, headlined by six points from Rebstock, to jump in front by six with under three minutes on the clock. A 6-5 division of the next 11 points brought the contest into the final minute with a five-point margin, but the Chargers scored five points in the final 33 seconds to force overtime.
GAME NOTES
- Jordan Oates starred on both sides of the floor for Salisbury, totaling a season-high 28 points while hauling in 18 rebounds and registering a career-high five blocks across 43 minutes. Oates hauled in a mammoth 11 offensive boards, vaulting him to third in program history (301) to pass Randy Clark '97. His five rejections were the most in a single game for any Sea Gull since Wyatt Smith '17 sent five shots back against CNU on Dec. 17th, 2016. He now ranks 13th in team history in scoring (1,309, one point shy of former teammate Gary Briddell), fifth in rebounds (1,060), and fifth in blocks (90).
- Kedrick Frink finished with a markedly efficient 20 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor and adding four rebounds and three steals.
- Reed Rebstock netted 18 points while finishing two rebounds shy of a double-double, cleaning the glass on eight occasions.
- Aidan Camper logged his second double-digit scoring performance of the season, dropping 11 points including a perfect 8-of-8 from the stripe while hauling in three rebounds.
- The Sea Gulls shot 41.4 percent (29-of-70) from the floor, made one three-pointer, and finished with a 78.6 percent (33-of-42) clip from the free-throw line, recording the most makes from the stripe in over a decade (Jan. 18th, 2014 vs. Frostburg State; 33-of-39).
- The Chargers shot 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from beyond the arc, marking the best three-point shooting performance against SU on five or more attempts since a Jan. 2nd, 2013 battle against Eastern Connecticut (65.2 percent, 15-of-23).
The Sea Gulls return in the new year, facing Virginia Wesleyan in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 4th, 2025 after the women's squad takes on Franklin & Marshall. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. inside Maggs Gymnasium with tickets for the twin bill available
online.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 201 conference championships, and have produced 50 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.
