St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s basketball team fell to Penn State Harrisburg 78-67 in United East Conference play Feb. 2, 2026, at the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics and Recreation Center Arena in St. Mary’s City despite a career-high 28 points from sophomore James Crimaudo.
The Seahawks (8-11 overall, 4-5 United East) built an 11-point halftime lead but were outscored 49-29 in the second half by the conference-leading Lions (14-8, 10-1 United East). The defeat created a three-way tie for sixth place in the United East standings with Penn State Berks, also at 4-5 in conference play.
Crimaudo, from Riva, Md., and South River High School, led all scorers with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-8 from three-point range. He added a team-high seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 36 minutes. First-year guard Korey Blair contributed 15 points on 5-of-field goal shooting with one three-pointer and four free throws, plus two assists in 31 minutes. Senior captain Jake Koverman scored six points with two rebounds, while first-year guard Khairi Hyde added five points and a team-high five assists.
St. Mary’s shot 54.5 percent from the field overall (30-of-55) and 38.9 percent from three-point range (7-of-18), with a 70.6 percent mark at the free-throw line (12-of-17). The Seahawks held an 18-8 advantage in points in the paint at halftime but struggled with rebounding, trailing 37-25 overall and 20-10 in the second half. Harrisburg capitalized with a 10-2 edge in second-chance points and converted 25-of-35 free throws.
The game began with Penn State Harrisburg taking an early 6-0 lead before Crimaudo answered with eight straight points, including two three-pointers and a dunk, to trim the deficit to 10-8. Crimaudo and Blair combined for 18 of St. Mary’s next 22 points, fueling a surge that gave the Seahawks a 30-19 advantage with 4:41 left in the first half. Back-to-back buckets from Koverman and Crimaudo extended the halftime margin to 38-29.
Dylan Moore sparked Harrisburg’s second-half turnaround, scoring 11 of the Lions’ first 13 points in a 22-6 run that reclaimed the lead 46-44 at 13:43. The visitors maintained control, stretching the margin to seven on a Chris Henderson layup at 12:17. St. Mary’s responded with layups from senior captain JD Salo and sophomore Sekou Bangoura to close within four points twice, but Harrisburg countered with a 12-6 run to lead 65-55 at 4:47. The Lions sealed the victory by making 9-of-12 free throws in the final two minutes.
Henderson paced Harrisburg with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Moore added 15 points, three assists, and three steals.
The loss highlighted St. Mary’s strong first-half execution, including a 63.6 percent field-goal percentage in the opening 20 minutes, but exposed vulnerabilities in second-half rebounding and foul shooting defense against a top-tier opponent.
St. Mary’s returns to action Feb. 4, 2026, traveling to Notre Dame (Md.) for a 5 p.m. United East contest at the MBK Sports Complex in Baltimore. The Seahawks then host Penn State Berks Feb. 10 at 5 p.m. in St. Mary’s City before visiting Valley Forge Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. in Phoenixville, Pa.
The United East Conference features competitive parity in the lower half of the standings, with St. Mary’s positioned to climb with strong road performances and home wins in the coming weeks.