February 17, 2010
Salisbury battles back in final minutes but falls by three to Wesley
SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury
University men's basketball team said farewell to its three seniors
on Wednesday evening before a crowd of 447 fans at Maggs Physical
Activities Center, as the Sea Gulls faced off against Capital
Athletic Conference foe Wesley College in their last regular-season
home contest. In a thrilling fight to the finish Salisbury battled
until the very last second but fell to Wesley, 75-72.
The Sea Gulls (12-11, 8-7 CAC) got off to a strong start in the
first half, led by guard/forward Greg Palmer
(Salisbury, Md.). The senior, who notched his
1,000th career point earlier this season, added 11
points to the Sea Gulls' total of 31 in the first half. Salisbury
retained a one-point advantage going into the locker room at
halftime. Fellow senior guard Devin Jones
(Severn, Md.) dished out three assists in the first 20
minutes of play.
Wesley (16-7, 10-5 CAC) came out swinging in the second half,
but Salisbury was prepared. Junior center Chris
McGrew (Burtonsville, Md.), along with Palmer, led the
Sea Gull effort; of the 21 points McGrew scored in the game, 16 of
them came in the second half. Palmer added 18 points to his
first-half total, finishing with a team-high 29. He went 6-for-10
behind the arc. The Wolverines began to pull away inside of the
10-minute mark, but the Sea Gulls battled back. A nothing-but-net
three-pointer by Palmer brought Salisbury to within one point with
less than a minute on the clock, but Wesley's success at the
free-throw line in the final seconds of the game gave it the close
victory.
Salisbury drastically improved its shooting in the second half,
going 53.6% from the floor as opposed to its 37% success rate in
the first half. The Sea Gulls' third senior, Drew
Dickson (Silver Spring, Md.), pulled down four
rebounds and dished out three assists to go with two steals.
For the regular season the Sea Gulls posted an overall record of
7-4 and a conference record of 5-3 on their home floor.
Salisbury's final regular-season game will be on the road as the
Sea Gulls play CAC opponent Mary Washington on Saturday. Tip-off is
set for 1 p.m.
