SALISBURY, Md. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team got another strong showing out of Jordan Oates on Saturday afternoon, with the graduate forward's third consecutive double-double helping power the squad to a 69-66 win over Johns Hopkins inside Maggs Gymnasium.
The Sea Gulls (3-1) scored the first seven points of the contest before the visitors tallied five straight to tighten the contest through five minutes, 7-5. Salisbury would score seven of the next nine points to build a 14-7 advantage nearing the midway point of the period.
The Blue Jays (2-1) connected on back-to-back attempts from beyond the arc to bring the deficit within one, 14-13. The hosts got hot again, netting six of the ensuing seven to lead 20-14 with eight minutes to play in the half.
SU answered a Blue Jay layup with a 7-0 run, four of which were netted by Daniel Oyediran in consecutive possessions. JHU found a five-point swing of their own, but the Sea Gulls outscored their guests 10-9 in the final three and a half minutes to preserve a seven-point lead at intermission, 37-30.
JHU scored six of the first eight points in the second half, with only a Brendan Davis basket to break up the rally, to bring the margin down to three. Oates and Kedrick Frink joined forces to lay out a 5-2 stretch spanning just over a minute, but two more layups brought the Blue Jays within two with just over 13 minutes to play, 44-42.
After a trio of combined trips to the stripe, the Blue Jays climbed back within one point, 47-46. With the pressure on, the Sea Gulls responded, rolling out a 13-4 run to blow the lead back up to 10 with just under four minutes left, 60-50.
The Blue Jays did not go quietly, using an 8-1 run to give the Sea Gulls a late scare with just over 90 seconds left, 61-58. Salisbury did just enough to stave off the comeback bid, matching the Johns Hopkins 8-8 in the final seconds of the contest to hold on for the 69-66 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Jordan Oates recorded his third double-double in as many games, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds while adding a trio of assists. His performance through four games has helped Oates jump to 29th in scoring in program history with 1,077 career points, while the graduate forward has climbed to fifth in program history in offensive rebounds (259).
- Brendan Davis followed Tuesday's career effort with 13 points while adding three assists and three steals.
- Daniel Oyediran recorded his first double-digit scoring day as a Sea Gull, totaling 10 points in the win.
- Reed Rebstock tallied 10 points while hauling in three boards and swiping two steals.
- The Sea Gulls piled up nine steals in Saturday's win, matching the team's season-high from Tuesday's contest against St. Mary's (Md.). Salisbury recorded nine or more steals in four games last season.
The Sea Gulls embark on a two-game road trip, beginning in St. Davids, Pa. against the Eastern University Eagles on Tuesday, Nov. 19th. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.