BUENA VISTA, Va. – A second-half push by the Marymount (Va.) University men's basketball team guided it to a 75-67 victory over Southern Virginia University on Wednesday night in a Capital Athletic Conference road tilt.
The Saints trailed by as much as 12 midway through the second half, but rallied to overcome the deficit for a hard-fought win. By the 6:52 mark, Marymount cut the Knight advantage in half to six off a free throw by senior Michael Anderson, and the Saints continued the trend throughout the remainder of the game.
In the final seven minutes, MU pieced together an 18-10 run. With five minutes remaining, freshman LaDarius McCord got the Saints within one off a long ball, catching a dish by Anderson.
Anderson, who finished the game with a game-high five assists, proved why he runs the point, driving the lane on the next offensive possession to draw the defense. With sophomore Brandon Rogers sneaking in on the backside of the hoop, Anderson dished off a quick pass to Rogers who finished strong with a reverse layup and a 60-59 lead at the 4:28 mark.
The Saints fed off the momentum swing, as freshman Ibrahim Kamara knocked down two free throws and Anderson found Rogers for a three pointer to push a seven-point advantage with 2:30 remaining.
The Knights tried to battled back within striking distance, dropping in a layup, but their next possession with a minute remaining didn't quite go as planned. Driving the left-side baseline, a whistle was blown sending the ball the other way, as Anderson held his ground to draw the charge and keep the Saints at a five-point lead.
On the other end, junior Dimitri Rucker powered his way inside for the first take, which was turned away. However, Rucker ripped in the offensive board and went back up strong to get the Saints' lead back to seven, 70-63.
As time winded down, Kamara iced the game with four free throws while freshman Josh Giardina added another to seal up the 75-67 victory.
The first half was a close battle as well, as the Saints carried a two-point lead into the locker room, 34-32. Marymount saw scoring from 10 different players led by six points by Rucker.
Kamara paced the rounded Saint offense with 14 points, while Rogers added 13. Two others notched double figures in scoring, seeing Rucker drop in 11 and Anderson come in with 10. Rucker, additionally, registered another double-double for the season, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Saints return home for another league matchup on Saturday, February 4, taking on Wesley College for Military Appreciation Day. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., in the Verizon Sports Arena.