ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. – Sophomore forward Gary Grant (Washington, D.C./Thomas Stone [Md.]) and first-year guard Duane Mason Jr. (Temple Hills, Md./Potomac) each tallied 16 points Monday night in the second straight loss for the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s basketball team. St. Mary’s College’s (11-7, 10-2 UEC) comeback came up short in an 82-75 United East Conference loss to Lancaster Bible College (15-6, 11-1 UEC).
How It Happened
- The Seahawks controlled the first nine minutes of the first half, building a 22-10 lead at 11:00 as seven different players scored. Mason and Grant led the way with five points each while Mason and seniors Seth Jones (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic) and Cameron Rucker (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) all knocked down a triple.
- A second Mason three-point shot at 7:46 gave St. Mary’s College its final double-digit margin of the game (29-19) before Lancaster Bible turned the tables. The Chargers put together a 16-0 run to claim the lead for the first time as Grant Sareyka scored seven.
- Two free throws by Grant put an end to the Seahawks’ scoreless drought, pulling the hosts within 35-31 at 3:35. However, LBC closed the half on a 13-4 run to stake a 48-35 halftime advantage.
- Jordan Shewbridge, the league’s leading scorer, drained a three-pointer at 7:17 to maintain the Chargers’ 13-point lead (70-57) before St. Mary’s College responded with a 12-4 run over the next four minutes to close the gap to 74-69 at 3:11.
- LBC sealed the win by going 6-of-6 at the free throw line down the stretch while the Seahawks missed six of their final seven shots.
Inside the Box Score
- The Seahawks won the battle on the glass with a 44-39 rebounding margin as first-year guard Elijah Crawford (Oxon Hill, Md./Potomac) hauled in nine boards and Grant grabbed eight.
- St. Mary’s College made the Chargers work for their shots, collecting nine blocks with Crawford denying a game-high four shots.
- The Seahawks finished the game shooting 43.5-percent (27-62) from the field, but it was a slow night for SMCM behind the three-point line, connecting on just 4-of-14 three-pointers.
- Junior guard Daryn Alexander (Twinbrook, Md./Richard Montgomery) also notched double-digit points for SMCM with 13.
- Adam Stoltzfus, the conference’s leading rebounder, recorded a double-double in Lancaster Bible’s seventh consecutive win with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Shewbridge finished just shy of his 19.6 scoring average with 17 points on the night.
Up Next for the Seahawks
- Feb. 10 at Penn State Harrisburg (17-2, 10-1 UEC) – Harrisburg, Pa. – 6:00 p.m.
- Feb. 12 at Lancaster Bible (15-6, 11-1 UEC) – Lancaster, Pa. – 5:00 p.m.