SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University men's basketball team opened its Capital Athletic Conference schedule with a 57-48 loss to No. 12 St. Mary's College of Maryland Wednesday evening at the Maggs Physical Activities Center.

Junior Chris Viqueira led the Sea Gulls with 12 points, going 5-of-8 from the field, including 2-for-2 from behind the three-point arc. The Boyds, Md., native netted the first two baskets of the contest, to give the Sea Gulls a 4-0 lead, the only lead they would have in the first half.

St. Mary's (4-1, 1-0 CAC) scored the next eight points, though the Sea Gulls pulled within a point going into the half, 25-24, when senior Brandyn Wilkerson drained a three pointer right in front of the Seahawk bench as the clock expired.

Coming out of the break, the Sea Gulls kept the game close and broke even, at 27-27, with 16:39 remaining, when sophomore Luke Ruland came out from the low block to drain a three to knot the score. The two teams would battle back and forth over the next three minutes, with the Sea Gulls tying the score again at 33 apiece when freshman Justin Witmer went strong to the hole, putting home a basket and drawing a foul, sinking the free throw.

The Sea Gulls would take a 36-33 lead with 12:18 left in the contest, their first since Viqueira's first two buckets, when the junior hit a three-pointer, taking a pass at the top of the key from Witmer. Following a defensive stop, Viqueira came back down the floor to hit a mid-range jumper, giving the Sea Gulls their biggest lead of the night at 38-33 with 11:49 remaining on the clock.

St. Mary's finished the contest with a 24-10 run, proving to be too much for the Sea Gulls.

The Seahawks were led by Nick LaGuerre, who scored a game-high 22 points. Donn Hill added 19 points for St. Mary's.

Freshman Gordon Jeter had eight points off the bench and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

The Sea Gulls are back in action this Saturday at the Maggs Physical Activities Center, hosting Southern Virginina University. The game is the second half of a basketball doubleheader and is scheduled to tip-off at 3 p.m.