SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team participated in a shootout with Penn St. Abington and outlasted the Nittany Lions 94-88 on Tuesday evening to complete a perfect 4-0 homestand spanning from the beginning of the month. SU scored their most points of the season in the victory.
The Sea Gulls (10-7) won the opening tip and went right to work offensively as
Aidan Camper knocked down a three to begin the game,
Leon Elung followed with two layups on the ensuing possessions to reinforce the SU advantage early.
Churchill Bounds made it his turn to score two buckets in a row by showing soft touch on a hook shot and a layup.
After
Daniel Oyediran kept the scoring going, Camper nailed two more triples with the ladder three being an and-one as the Sea Gulls punctuated a perfect eight-for-eight start from the floor to give themselves a 20-10 lead.
The Nittany Lions (2-14) countered with four shots from distance to counter and get their nose out in front 24-23 halfway through the frame. Camper and Oyediran would strike back from beyond the arc to get the Gulls back in front 29-25.
Elijah Carroll broke through from distance, and Camper scored from mid-range with nine seconds to go, but the Nittany Lions pushed down the floor for a final-second three-point basket to make it 44-39 at halftime.
Salisbury went on a 16-6 run out of the break to get the lead up to as Carroll knocked down another triple and Elung scored three points the old-fashioned way to make it 60-45 in favor of the hosts. Carroll struck again from deep, and Elung strung together four more points in the following minutes to distance the Sea Gull further from the Nittany Lions.
Oyediran took his turn to score seven consecutive points for Salisbury. However, Penn St. Abington chipped into the deficit in the final four minutes by going on an 18-7 run that ultimately came up short.
GAME NOTES
- Carroll (21), Oyediran (19), Camper (15), Elung (15) and Bounds (14) all scored double-digits for the Sea Gulls, with Carroll's total marking a career-high.
- Elung reached a career-high in helpers (5) and picked up three steals for the second time on the campaign.
- Bounds recorded his third double-double in four games with ten boards while also swatting away two shots.
- Camper gave out six assists; in the last five games, the senior has averaged five a game.
- Joey Lutz added two threes and eight points off the bench.
- Salisbury shot a season-high 56.9 percent (33-58) from the field and 55.6 percent (10-18) from beyond the arc, while going 60.0 percent (18-30) from the charity stripe.
The Sea Gulls head to Newport News, Va., to play a neutral contest with the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders on Saturday. Action begins at the Freeman Center at 6 p.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 54 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.
