St. Mary's City, Md. – Sophomore guard Nick LaGuerre (Baltimore, Md./Lansdowne) posted his fourth consecutive double-figure scoring performance as the No. 24 St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team upsets the No. 15 Christopher Newport University Captains, 65-60, Wednesday night.
LaGuerre led a Seahawk trio in double-digit scoring as he tallied 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting while hauling in a season-best six rebounds and dishing a career-high five assists. Senior guard Devin Spencer (Baltimore, Md./Towson Catholic) collected 11 points and four assists while senior guard James Davenport (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) added 10 points off the bench as he went 7-for-8 at the free throw line.
St. Mary's (6-1) nearly let the game slip away as the Seahawks squandered a 15-point lead in the final 11 minutes of the contest. The Captains went on a 23-11 tear as first-year forward Connor Laframboise (Chesapeake, Va./Cape Henry) sparked the run with his second three-pointer of the game. The CNU defense did its part to keep the run alive, holding St. Mary's to just four made field goals in that 11-minute span.
Christopher Newport (5-1) closed the gap to 61-58 with 11 seconds remaining in regulation on a layup by sophomore guard Mike Cherry (Lewiston, N.C./Bertie). Davenport was fouled by senior guard Paul Meredith (Hampton, Va./Bethel) and made both to make it a two-possession game.
The Seahawks stayed one step ahead of Christopher Newport during the run with a 6-of-8 effort from the charity stripe, including Davenport going 5-of-6, while junior guard Donn Hill (Aberdeen, Md./Bel Air) sealed the win with a dunk at the buzzer.
Junior Tra Benefield (Folkston, Ga./Evangel Christian [Va.]) paced the Captains with game-bests of 21 points and eight boards while Cherry finished with 11 points, four caroms, and three assists.
The two teams battled back and forth in the first half as the lead changed seven times and the score was tied five times during the first 20 minutes. The Seahawks headed into the locker room with a 29-28 advantage as first-year guard Patrick Fehl (Mechanicsville, Va./Benedictine Prep) made 1-of-2 free throws 41 seconds before the half.
The Seahawks will be back in action on Saturday, December 8 as St. Mary's returns to Capital Athletic Conference action and welcomes Marymount (Va.) University (2-4) to the Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena. Tip-off is at 4:00 pm.
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