GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team rolled to a 90-68 victory in a Saturday matinee against the Messiah University Falcons to round out the weekend with a 1-1 record in the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament.
Jamison Graves gave the Sea Gulls (2-2) an early 4-2 edge by drilling a three that
Leon Elung assisted. SU's next two buckets came from
Daniel Oyediran, who scored from in the paint and beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions. Graves came down and knocked down another triple to give the Maroon and Gold a 12-6 advantage.
The Gulls continued to double up on the Falcons (1-3) after
Calvin Thomas imposed himself on the interior to earn four straight points and give Salisbury the 16-8 nod. The Falcons cut the deficit to 20-18 with 7:53 remaining, but Thomas got back on the board with a layup,
and Jaylen Shippen connected with
Joey Lutz, who delivered from distance to up the lead back to seven.
The hosts found themselves back within two, Lutz knocked down another three, and
Aidan Camper found success twice from beyond the arc to fend off the Falcon momentum. Graves hit from deep to extend the lead to 11, after Messiah made it 45-37,
Churchill Bounds banked in a layup in the final seconds to give the Sea Gulls a double-digit advantage heading into halftime.
Within a minute of the Falcons getting within five, Oyediran made a tip-in, and Camper delivered from distance to get the cushion back up to ten. Camper wouldn't stop there, burying another triple before Graves knocked down one of his own. Elung collected a steal on the ensuing Messiah possession and scored in the paint, then did it again with 14 minutes remaining to make it a 20-point game.
Following the flurry of scoring, the Sea Gulls cruised to a 22-point win and extended their lead to 27 at points in the waning minutes of the game.
GAME NOTES
- Graves and Camper each made four triples and swiped three steals each, with Graves finishing with 18 points for the second straight day and Camper scoring 12 on four of five shooting from three-point range.
- Thomas and Oyediran each contributed 13 points. Thomas fell one point short of matching his career high.
- Bounds chipped in ten points and shot 80 percent (4-5) from the floor.
- Elung led the Sea Gulls with seven rebounds.
- Shippen played 16 minutes off the bench and dished out five assists.
- Tyler Ball tied Graves and Camper with three steals to tie for the game lead.
- The Sea Gulls shot 44.0 percent from the floor, hit 11 threes while shooting 42.3 percent (11-26) from beyond the arc and shot 68.4 percent (13-of-29) from the free throw line.
- Salisbury outrebounded Messiah 43-35 while holding the Falcons to a 12 percent (3-25) clip from three-point land and forced 21 Falcon turnovers.
The Sea Gulls participate in the Governor's Challenge Tournament on Friday against Notre Dame (Md.) at the Wicomico County Civic Center. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m.
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), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). 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 206 conference championships, and have produced 53 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
