St. Mary's City, Md. – Junior guard Brendan McFall (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) tallied a career-best 16 points as the No. 14 St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team posted a 59-50 Capital Athletic Conference victory over Salisbury University Saturday afternoon.
It's the second straight win for the Seahawks (16-2, 5-1 CAC) and moved them into a tie for first place with Wesley College (15-4, 5-1 CAC) in the conference standings.
McFall was 7-of-13 from the field as he scored 10 of his 16 points in the first half while pulling down a season-high and team-best nine rebounds. Junior guard Donn Hill (Aberdeen, Md./Bel Air) put up 13 points and seven boards while senior forward Jeff Haus (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) added 10 points off the bench.
Statistically, both teams were nearly identical as St. Mary's shot 45.8% from the field to the Sea Gulls' 45.5% in the first half. The Seahawks were 6-of-7 from the free throw line while Salisbury made just one trip to the line. St. Mary's controlled the glass in the first 20 minutes with an 18-7 rebounding margin, including 11 defensive caroms to limit the Sea Gulls' second chances.
Five straight points by McFall helped the Seahawks own a 10-3 lead at 16:05; however, five consecutive points by senior guard Craig Ryan (Baltimore, Md./John Carroll) brought Salisbury to within two at 10:07. St. Mary's responded with a 12-4 run for a 10-point margin almost seven minutes later before heading into the locker room with a 29-23 advantage.
In the second half, Salisbury's (12-6, 3-2 CAC) shooters went cold as the Sea Gulls connected on only five field goals, all of which were three-pointers. The visitors stayed in the game with a 12-of-17 effort from the charity stripe. Salisbury came within two at 11:51, erasing an 11-point second-half deficit with a 12-3 run as the Seahawks hit only one field goal in a near five-minute span.
St. Mary's pulled away with a 19-8 tear to build its largest lead of 13 at 1:16 and seal its fifth league win of the season.
Senior guard Travon Vann (Frederick, Md./St. John's Prospect Hall), the league's second-leading scorer, finished with 17 points and nine rebounds to pace the Sea Gulls in the loss.
The Seahawks will be back in action on Wednesday, January 23 with a non-conference contest in Washington, D.C. St. Mary's will face former CAC opponent, Gallaudet University, at 7:00 pm.
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