First-year guard Micah Henry (Laurel, Md./Hammond) recorded his fourth 20-point game as Henry led the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s basketball team to their first win since a 78-68 victory over Penn State Harrisburg on January 14.
St. Mary’s College (9-12, 4-8 United East) hung on for a 73-67 triumph over the visiting Penn College Wildcats (9-12, 4-8 United East) in United East Conference action, halting a six-game skid Saturday afternoon (Feb. 4).
With the victory, St. Mary’s and the Wildcats split the season series as Penn College earned a 71-64 win in Williamsport, Pa., on January 21.
How It Happened
- Sophomore forward Naz Fisher (Washington, D.C./Washington Latin) put up the first bucket of the game before Penn College scored the next five points for its biggest lead of the game, 5-2, at 19:04.
- After that, the Seahawks took over the driver’s seat, enjoying their best shooting half of the season as St. Mary’s connected on 67.9-percent of its shots in the first 20 minutes.
- The hosts never led by more than five points as the Wildcats pulled within one at 10:20. St. Mary’s then put together an 18-5 run over a span of eight minutes and 26 seconds to distance themselves from Penn College by a 14-point margin, 40-26, with less than two minutes left in the half.
- The Seahawks headed into halftime with a 42-33 advantage as Henry led all scorers with 13 of his 27 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
- Fisher once again connected on the first bucket of the half to grow St. Mary’s’ advantage to 44-33.
- The Seahawks then weathered a Penn College rally as the Wildcats worked to tie the game three times before staking their first lead of the game since the first-minute mark of the first half. Livingston Cross came off the bench to score seven straight and give Penn College a 57-54 lead at 8:13.
- The two sides then traded leads over the next four minutes before a two-point jumper by Henry returned the advantage to St. Mary’s for good, 63-62, at 4:24.
- The Seahawks closed out their fourth conference win of the season on a 10-5 run, including an emphatic Fisher dunk with 28 seconds to go.
Inside the Box Score
- St. Mary’s returned to its rebounding ways, posting a 37-30 edge, and dominated the paint with a 48-28 margin.
- The Seahawks limited Penn College’s inside game with a season-high seven blocks.
- St. Mary’s finished the game with its second-highest field goal percentage of the season, hitting 56.1-percent of its shots to secure its ninth win of the campaign.
St. Mary’s Game Notes
- Henry tallied a game-best 27 points, just one shy of his career-high, as he made a career-best 12 field goals. He also added six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
- First-year guard Jaden Walker (York, Pa./West York Area) contributed career-bests of 13 points, five assists, two steals, and two rebounds. Walker drained a career-high two three-pointers, sunk a career-best three free throws, and knocked in a career-high four field goals.
- Fisher came away with his first career double-double as he matched his career-high of 12 points and grabbed a game-best 11 boards. He also equaled his career-best of four blocks for the second time this season.
- Senior guard Daryn Alexander (Twinbrook, Md./Richard Montgomery) rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Seahawks with 10 points while chipping six assists, a career-best two blocks, and two steals.
Penn College Game Notes
- Rees Watkins highlighted the Wildcats’ play with a team-best 17 points.
- Penn College shot 35.5-percent (22-62) from the field but stayed in the game with a 17-of-21 effort from the free throw line.
Up Next for the Seahawks
- Feb. 8 at Gallaudet (1-20, 0-12 United East) – Washington, D.C. (Field House) – 7:00 p.m.