YORK, Pa. – Travon Vann stripped York (Pa.) College's Todd Maciejewski of the ball and raced the other way for a go-ahead layup and the Salisbury University men's basketball team held on for a 61-58 Capital Athletic Conference win over the Spartans on Wednesday.
Trailing, 58-57, with 35 seconds remaining, Vann hit the game-winning shot and, after a timeout, Julian Watson missed a pair of layups. Vann followed with two free throws before Mitch Kemp tried two three-pointers, the last of which was rebounded by Tim Harwood. Elijah Gore added another free throw for the final margin.
Vann led three Sea Gulls in double figures with 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting as Salisbury (11-4, 2-0 CAC) won its second straight game. Harwood chipped in with 11 points, one assist and one steal and Chris Viqueira added 10 points, two assists and one steal.
A tight game throughout, the teams combined for seven lead changes and five ties.
Dylan Robeson gave SU its largest lead of the game with a three to make it 38-34 at the 14:54 mark of the second half. On the ensuing possession Chad Styer hit a three-pointer of his own to cut the Gulls' lead to 38-37.
Mike Mathews knocked down a pair from the line to give York (5-9, 1-2) its first lead of the second half at 43-41 with 10:30 remaining. The Spartans extended their edge to as many as six when Mathews completed a three-point play for a 54-48 lead with 3:52 to play, but Salisbury closed on a 13-4 run to claim the victory.
Mathews led four York players in double digits with 15 points, while Maciejewski notched a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. He also added four assists and a steal.
Salisbury, which shot 20-of-47 (42 percent) from the field and made seven three-pointers, was outscored 32-20 in the paint. The Sea Gulls' bench, though, outscored York's, 16-5. The Spartans were 22-of-49 (44 percent) from the floor for the game.
York jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first 5:47, using four points from Mathews. Salisbury responded with consecutive three-pointers by Viqueira, and Craig Ryan added a free throw to move the Sea Gulls within 11-9 with 12:11 remaining the first half.
Down six with seven minutes remaining, Vann hit a jumper to cut the deficit to 17-13 and knotted the game at 21-21 on a three with 3:49 to play. A Watson layup temporarily gave the edge back to the Spartans, but Conor Strickland drained a three for SU's first lead of the night at 24-23 with 1:41 left in the half. The Gulls carried a 28-25 advantage into halftime.
Salisbury returns home from a six-game road trip to host the University of Mary Washington Saturday at 4 p.m.