Sophomore James Crimaudo from Riva and first-year guard Khairi Hyde from Gaithersburg led the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s basketball team in a 68-59 loss to Penn State Abington on Saturday, January 10, 2026, in United East Conference play at the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center.
The Seahawks, now 5-8 overall and 1-2 in the UEC, hosted the Nittany Lions, who improved to 2-13 and 2-3 in conference action. The game, designated as Youth Day, featured competitive play with multiple lead changes early before Abington pulled away in the closing minutes.
The opening seven minutes saw five lead changes and four ties. Penn State Abington built a 10-8 edge with 13:58 left in the first half, aided by JoJo Kelly’s four points. Hyde’s layup at 13:21 tied the score at 10, igniting a 17-5 run for St. Mary’s that established a 25-15 lead at 4:24, the hosts’ largest margin. Back-to-back three-pointers from first-year guard Korey Blair and senior captain Jake Koverman fueled the surge.
St. Mary’s held a 31-27 halftime advantage, though timely threes by Tamir Powell and Tyler Fox narrowed the gap for Abington late in the period.
The second half remained close initially, with Abington tying the game at 13:28 on a Kelly layup. The teams traded leads over the next four minutes. Abington took its final lead at 8:59 with a Kelly three-pointer. Blair tied it at 51-all at 6:59 with a three, but the Seahawks failed to reclaim the advantage. The Nittany Lions closed with a 17-8 run to secure the victory.
St. Mary’s dominated in the paint with a 32-28 edge but trailed 43-40 in rebounds. Both teams made six three-pointers. Abington shot 51.6 percent from the field in the second half, finishing at 43.6 percent overall, compared to the Seahawks’ 34.8 percent.
Crimaudo posted his first career double-double with a team-high 16 points, a career-best 11 rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 36 minutes. Hyde contributed 12 points, a career-high eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 37 minutes. Blair and Koverman each added eight points, with Blair hitting two threes.
For Penn State Abington, Kelly led with 20 points, seven rebounds, one block, and one steal. Tyler Meinel scored 15, and Fox added 12.
St. Mary’s next faces Wilson College on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 5 p.m. in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, followed by a January 17, 2026, game at Lancaster Bible at 1 p.m. The team seeks to build on strong individual efforts amid conference challenges.
