NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team started hot and showed grit late but came up just short in Wednesday evening's battle with the 12th-ranked Christopher Newport Captains by a 67-65 final in the Freeman Center.
The Sea Gulls (15-8) looked comfortable early in the matchup, rolling out a 16-9 lead through five minutes led by eight-point outbursts from
Reed Rebstock and
Jordan Oates. After nearly two scoreless minutes, SU fired off another 4-0 run to lead 20-9 at the under-12 media break.
The Captains (19-4) scored six of the next eight points, interrupted by a
Kedrick Frink jumper, to narrow the margin to seven at 22-15. The following two minutes would yield just one CNU point from the line before a three-for-three trip to the stripe by Rebstock returned to the lead to nine with just under eight minutes left in the half, 25-16.
SU tallied seven of the next nine heading into the final five minutes of the stanza led by a three-ball from
Daniel Oyediran to build a 14-point advantage, 32-18. The hosts closed the frame with a 12-2 run to pull back within four at the break, 34-30.
Tyler Ball dropped in the first points of the second half from beyond the arc before a
Leon Elung three-point swing helped the maroon and gold to a 5-0 start through three minutes, 40-30. Frink answered a CNU basket with a jumper of his own to maintain the 10-point difference at the first timeout of the half, 42-32.
The Captains surrounded a third make from range for Oates with 10 points including a pair of three-pointers, yanking the battle back within three points, but Oates erupted for five quick points to return the lead to seven with 11:26 left in the period.
A pair of CNU scores nearly three minutes apart kickstarted a 14-3 Captain stretch spanning nearly seven minutes to lead by four with less than five minutes to go, 57-53. Elung cashed in a pair from the line before a quick Captain response returned the margin to four.
Late three-point heaves from Rebstock and Ball gave the Captains a scare in the final minutes, but CNU held on to escape the Freeman Center with a 67-65 win.
GAME NOTES
- Jordan Oates logged his 18th double-double, a figure in which he ranks third nationally, posting game-highs in points (22), rebounds (14) and blocks (six) on Wednesday evening. His six blocks served as a new career-high and the most for any Sea Gull in over 15 seasons. Oates elevated to seventh in program history in career three-point field goals made (172) and eighth in career scoring (1,455) in the matchup.
- Reed Rebstock notched his 11th double-digit scoring effort of the campaign, finishing with 16 points while adding four rebounds and swiping three steals.
- Kedrick Frink added 10 points and four rebounds in the matchup.
- Aidan Camper dished out five assists to pace the squad.
- The Sea Gulls shot 33.3 percent (19-of-57) from the floor, 32 percent (8-of-25) from beyond the arc and 70.4 percent (19-of-27) from the free throw line.
Salisbury returns home a week from today, Feb. 19th, to host the Eagles of Mary Washington in the team's penultimate game of the regular season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with tickets available for purchase
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.
