St. Mary’s College of Maryland opened the 2025-26 men’s basketball season with a 74-68 nonconference victory over host Averett University on Nov. 7, relying on Freshman James Crimaudo’s career-high 23 points to secure the road win in the Grant Center. The Division III Seahawks, competing in the United East Conference, improved to 1-0 while dropping the Cougars to 0-1 in their home opener.
Crimaudo, from Riva in Anne Arundel County, shot 8 of 15 from the field with two 3-pointers and added seven rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes. First-year guard Korey Blair, a Baltimore native from Overlea High School, contributed 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in his collegiate debut, including two 3s. Jumior captain Jake Koverman of Severna Park rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points, a game-high nine rebounds, four steals and two assists in 28 minutes.
The contest featured nine lead changes and five ties in the first half, with St. Mary’s grabbing a 31-30 halftime edge on a pair of free throws by Freshman guard Sekou Bangoura of Olney with 27 seconds left. The Seahawks extended the margin to six points early in the second half on a Bangoura layup at the 17:31 mark. Averett responded with a 14-6 run over four minutes, capped by a 3-pointer from reserve Josh Seiler that gave the Cougars a 59-54 lead with 9:20 remaining.
St. Mary’s reclaimed the advantage with three straight baskets from first-year forward Evan Quintero of Fallston, Crimaudo and Blair, moving ahead by two at the 6:58 mark. Crimaudo’s 3-pointer at 5:11 ended a 96-second scoring drought and sparked a 13-7 closing run that preserved the victory.
St. Mary’s capitalized on 19 Averett turnovers for 30 points while scoring 44 in the paint to the Cougars’ 28. The Seahawks held a 39-32 rebounding edge and shot 47.5 percent from the field, including 31.6 percent on 3s. Averett connected on 9 of 23 from beyond the arc but made just 11 of 22 free throws.
For Averett, Timayahs Bracey led with 20 points, Jackson Sellars added 15 points with seven assists and six rebounds, and Seiler scored 13 off the bench.
The win marks an encouraging start under head coach Chris Harney, who enters his 21st season directing the program and holds the school’s all-time victory record with 312 wins entering 2025-26. Harney, a 1997 St. Mary’s alumnus, has guided the Seahawks to five United East Conference titles — formerly the North Eastern Athletic Conference — and five NCAA Division III tournament appearances since taking over in 2006, including Sweet 16 runs in 2008 and 2010, and Elite Eight berths in 2011 and 2013.
Last season, the 2024-25 campaign, St. Mary’s finished 15-12 overall and 9-7 in conference play, securing a fourth-place finish before bowing out in the United East quarterfinals. The team returns key contributors like Koverman, a first-team all-conference selection in 2024-25 who averaged 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds, alongside Bangoura and Crimaudo, who posted 9.8 points per game as a freshman.
Next up, the Seahawks travel to Greensboro College on Monday for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff in Hanes Gymnasium. Greensboro, also 0-0 entering the weekend, finished 2024-25 at 14-14 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
St. Mary’s College basketball continues to embody the region’s blend of maritime heritage and competitive drive, with alumni like 2013 graduate Dan Engelstad ’07 now coaching at Mount St. Mary’s University. As the season unfolds, the program eyes a return to postseason contention, building on a legacy that has produced 15 all-conference honors under Harney since 2010.
