FREDERICK, Md.--The Salisbury University Sea Gulls (10-8, 6-4
CAC) overcame a 14-point second half deficit to upend the Hood
College men's basketball team (12-7, 7-3 CAC), 69-66, Wednesday
evening in a Capital Athletic Conference tilt at the Odom Fitness
Center at Fort Detrick.
In the opening stanza, the Blazers used a 16-0 run over a span
of 5:25 to turn an 11-7 deficit into a 23-11 lead with 7:22 to go
in the period. Hood maintained the upperhand the rest of the stanza
and led by eight, 37-29, at halftime. Hood outscored the Sea Gulls
22-8 in the paint and outrebounded SU, 17-6, while shooting 61.5
percent from the field.
The Sea Gulls trimmed the deficit to just two on the strength of
the solid frontcourt presence of Chris McGrew, who tallied six of
the Sea Gulls' first 11 points of the half. The Blazers stretched
their lead back to as many as 14 on a Justin Stone layup with 7:59
remaining in regulation.
It was then that the Sea Gulls started heating up from behind
the arc, drilling four consecutive triples, including three by Greg
Palmer, to draw to within four, 62-58, with 5:36 to go.
Palmer's biggest trey however came at the 1:22 mark which
knotted the score at 66-66. After the Blazers misfired on the their
next possession, Tory Wilson was whistled for a foul under the
basket on McGrew's leaner, sending the starting center to the line
for two shots. After missing the first, Hood called timeout, but
the stoppage did not phase McGrew, who hit the second to make it
67-66 with 20 ticks left.
After Hood called another timeout, the Blazers were unable to
get a shot off as McGrew was there for the steal and hit what
proved to be two game-clinching foul shots at the other end.
Brenden Straughn was fouled on the ensuing inbounds, but the front
end of his 1-and-1 try rimmed out and the Gulls came down with the
carom as the clock ran out.
Wilson and Straughn each netted 15 points while Stone came off
the bench to tally 14. Straughn also dished a team-best six
assists, matching his season-high.
McGrew finished with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting
while Palmer buried six three-pointers for 20 points. In all, the
Sea Gulls hit 10-of-21 from distance while Hood was 3-for-11.
Hood returns to action Saturday at York College (Pa.) for a 2
p.m. CAC tip.
