PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. — Four players scored in double figures and St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s basketball team overwhelmed the University of Valley Forge with a season-best 53-30 rebounding edge to secure an 80-68 United East Conference road victory on Saturday, February 7.
The win lifted the Seahawks to 9-12 overall and 5-6 in conference play, creating a three-way tie for sixth place with Penn State Berks (6-16, 5-6) and Wilson College (9-14, 5-6). St. Mary’s holds the tiebreaker over Wilson after a 70-60 win on January 13. Valley Forge fell to 7-15 overall and 3-9 in the United East, ending a three-game win streak.
F 6′ 5″ Freshman Credit: Chuck Steenburgh / St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary’s jumped ahead early, building a 17-9 lead fueled by six points from senior captain JD Salo of Dunkirk, Maryland. Valley Forge briefly took its only lead at 23-22 on a William Lawder dunk midway through the first half. The teams traded ties before the Seahawks closed the half on a 6-4 spurt, with first-year guard Khairi Hyde scoring five points to take a 35-33 edge into the break.
The Patriots stayed close early in the second half, trimming the deficit to two at 44-42 and three at 57-54 on a Dominik McKenney-George jumper with 7:22 remaining. St. Mary’s responded decisively, unleashing a 13-3 run in under three minutes capped by Korey Blair’s three-point play to seize a 70-57 advantage. The Seahawks maintained control the rest of the way for the 12-point win.
Rebounding proved decisive as St. Mary’s posted its largest margin of the season at plus-23. The team shot 48.0 percent from the field, including 35.3 percent from three-point range, and converted 66.7 percent at the free-throw line.
First-year guard Korey Blair of Baltimore led the Seahawks with 19 points, seven free throws, three assists, and two rebounds in 38 minutes. Hyde delivered a career-high 16 points along with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Senior captain Jake Koverman of Severna Park contributed 14 points, while Salo added 14 points and nine rebounds—one board short of a double-double.
First-year forward Tristan Thompson of Urbana pulled down a career-best 15 rebounds and scored nine points, falling one point shy of his first career double-double. Fellow first-year Evan Quintero of Fallston grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, scored eight points, and blocked two shots.
Valley Forge’s Reece topped the Patriots with 16 points, and Denzel Pierre added 10.
The victory positions St. Mary’s for a critical matchup against Penn State Berks on Tuesday, February 10, at 5 p.m. in the Michael P. O’Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena in St. Mary’s City during the Black History Month celebration game. A win would give the Seahawks the head-to-head tiebreaker and momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
St. Mary’s continues its push for a stronger conference tournament seed with two road games remaining, including February 14 at Penn State Brandywine.