SALISBURY, Md. - Junior Sean
Whittaker made his first start in a month for the
Salisbury University men's basketball team on Wednesday night at
the Maggs Center and provided a much needed spark for the Sea
Gulls. Whittaker scored a career-high 22 points as the maroon and
gold won a crucial Capital Athletic Conference game against
Gallaudet University, 88-75, on Coaches vs. Cancer night
before a crowd of 271.
The first half turned into a perimeter game as the two teams
combined to take 34 three-pointers. Gallaudet (6-17, 4-10 CAC) took
its biggest lead, six points, with eight minutes left in the first
half. Salisbury (5-17, 3-10 CAC) erased the margin away quickly as
the maroon and gold dialed in shots from long range. Junior
Wesley Sweet (12 points, four assists) drained a
three at the 5:11 mark to tie the game for the fifth time of the
half. Sweet's three-pointer sparked a 17-3 run to send the Gulls
into the intermission up 42-31.
The Sea Gulls never trailed in the second half as they snapped a
four-game losing streak. Salisbury opened up a 20-point lead midway
through the half as the Bison could only pull to within nine points
several times down the stretch.
Senior guard Gary Ward (20 points, three
steals) was 6-for-14 from three-point range for the Sea Gulls.
Fellow senior Todd Ostrum (six assists) scored 12
of SU's 18 bench points while forward Jonas
Vaitkus scored eight points and pulled down a team-high
nine rebounds. SU turned 25 Gallaudet turnovers into 28 points as
the maroon and gold shot 40.8 percent from the floor for the game
and 37.8 percent (14-for-37) from three-point range.
Gallaudet was paced by its backcourt duo of Lance Gonzalez (30
points) and Jon Mowl (20 points, eight rebounds, three steals). The
Bison held a slight advantage in the paint, 24-22, as they shot
40.4 percent from the floor and 31.0 percent (9-for-29) from
three-point range.
SU will close out its home regular-season schedule this Saturday
on "Think Pink" day at the Maggs Center against Villa Julie College
at 4 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear something pink to show
support for breast cancer awareness. Salisbury will also pay
tribute to its seniors Ostrum, Vaitkus and Ward before the game.
