Palmer nets 17 points in loss to Seahawks
SALISBURY, Md. - Junior guard Greg Palmer notched a team-high 17 points but it was not enough as the Salisbury University men's basketball team dropped a 79-64 decision to St. Mary's (Md.) College in a Capital Athletic Conference showdown on Monday night at the Maggs Center in front of a crowd of 225.
Salisbury (9-11, 6-5 CAC) was led by Palmer (seven rebounds, three assists), who pushed his double-digit point streak to 15 games. Sophomore center Chris McGrew and junior guard Devin Jones each tallied 10 points in the loss. SU was paced by the effort of junior guards Todd Dembroski (seven points) and Ronald Mann (six points).
The Sea Gulls took an early lead in the first half when senior guard Sean Whittaker buried a three-pointer less than a minute in as SU took a one-point lead, 3-2. Salisbury would take its last lead of the game, 5-4, when McGrew made a layup at the 18:41 mark. SMC immediately responded with a jumper by Alex Franz and the Seahawks would never look back. St. Mary's used a 9-2 run in the middle of the half to extend their lead to twelve points, 25-13. SU cut the lead to nine on a layup by Jones at the 5:31 mark but two late jumpers by Kyle Jarczynski pushed the Seahawk advantage to 14 points at half, 37-23. Jones used a 2-for-3 performance from three-point range to gather a team-high eight points in the frame. St. Mary's accumulated 25 rebounds in the first half.
Salisbury scored the first two baskets of the second half on a layup by McGrew and a jumper by Palmer to drop the Seahawk lead to 10 points. St. Mary's would respond with a 6-0 run two minutes later to make the score, 47-29, with 15 minutes remaining. SU kept the pressure on as Dembroski registered six points, four on free-throws, in less than a minute to bring the SMC lead down to 14 with a little over seven minutes remaining in the contest. That was as close as Salisbury would get, as a late Seahawk run put the game out of reach. SU was 11-for-14 from the free-throw line in the second half.
St. Mary's (16-4, 9-2 CAC) was propelled by the efforts of Calvin Wise, who notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Alex Irmer (six rebounds) had a game-high 18 points while Alex Franz (four steals, four assists) poured in 17 points. CAC Player of the Week, Camontae Griffin, had 10 points and four assists in the victory.
Salisbury will continue its two-game home stand on Saturday, February 7 at 4 p.m. with a matchup against CAC foe and Rt. 13 rival, Wesley College. The men will follow the women's game, which is scheduled to be played at 2 p.m. The double-header will be very special as SU, in conjunction with Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester County elementary and middle schools, will be participating in the "Take A Kid to the Game" promotion.
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