SALISBURY, Md. – Despite a remarkable effort from Jordan Oates, the Salisbury University men's basketball team stumbled in the final minutes against Mary Washington on Wednesday evening, enduring a 65-64 decision at Maggs Physical Activities Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Oates began his big day early, connecting from range for the game's first points. The opponents traded blows early, with the contest knotted at 5-5 through five minutes of action.
• The wind caught the wings of the Eagles, who rolled out a 13-1 rally across the ensuing five-and-a-half minutes to nab an 18-6 advantage with just under nine minutes left in the half.
• Calvin Thomas dropped in a jumper to stop the bleeding and Salisbury began to find nylon, outpacing the visitors 6-5 across the next two minutes. The Eagles cashed in a pair of baskets, but two made free throws by Thomas and a three-ball from Oates tightened the gap to 11, 30-19.
• The final four minutes went quiet offensively as Salisbury split the final eight points of the period with its Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) foe, setting the halftime score at 34-23.
• Oates truly caught fire in the second half, scoring 25 of his 37 points in the final 20 minutes. He penned the first line of the stanza with a pair of baskets, cutting the margin to seven, 34-27.
• An Eagles free throw and jumper sandwiched a Brendan Davis bucket, but Oates netted the next eight points of the affair to singlehandedly tie the matchup, 37-37 with just over four minutes played.
• Salisbury answered a UMW score with an 8-0 run, pushing the lead to six at 45-39. The rivals engaged in a five-minute slugfest that saw the next 18 points divided evenly, giving SU a 54-48 lead with nine minutes remaining.
• The Sea Gulls took five of the next six points to go ahead 59-49, the squad's largest lead of the night. Three minutes later, the Eagles had embarked on a 6-2 lead when Oates sank his fifth three-pointer, protecting the nine-point SU lead with two minutes to play.
• The Eagles closed the contest on a 10-0 run, including the go-ahead jumper with less than two seconds remaining, to seal the 65-64 final.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Jordan Oates further cemented his status as one of Division III's best, toppling his career-high with 37 points at a crisp 73.6 percent (14-of-19) clip. The outburst is the most of any Sea Gull dating back to March 6, 2015, when Wyatt Smith '17 reached the same total against Eastern Connecticut. He added 16 rebounds to lock up his sixth consecutive double-double, moving him into a tie for 10th nationally with 14 on the season. He also ranks third in Division III with 305 total rebounds this season.
• While inching closer to the program's top-five all-time rebounders, Oates climbed to 12th in three-point field goals made (139) and vaulted to 10th in career blocks (55) after Wednesday's contest. The senior also ranks sixth in total rebounds (820), fifth in rebounding average (10.9), seventh in offensive rebounds (236), and third all-time in offensive rebounding average (3.2).
• Calvin Thomas logged eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.
• Reed Rebstock hauled in seven boards and scored five points.
• Cameron Heard and Brendan Davis each tallied four assists on the night.
• Sidney Lebonzo rejected a pair of UMW attempts in the defeat.
• The Sea Gulls shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the floor, 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from beyond the arc, and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the free-throw line.

UMW GAME NOTES

• Zack Blue finished with 15 points, adding four steals and pairs of rebounds and assists.
• Jay Randall tallied 11 points and grabbed three rebounds.
• Trey Pittman finished with 10 points and five boards.
• Daniel Peterson scored nine points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
• The Eagles shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56), from the field, 20 percent (3-of-15) from three-point range, and 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from the charity stripe.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls conclude the regular season on Saturday, welcoming No. 22 Christopher Newport to town for the last matchup before the C2C Tournament.
• Tip-off is scheduled for 4 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.