December 5, 2009
Salisbury wins opening game of Optimist Classic; will play for championship tomorrow
SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury
University men's basketball team played in its first game of the
Optimist Classic against Methodist University on Saturday
afternoon, coming away with a solid 87-75 victory. The win puts
Salisbury in the championship game of the Classic, which will be
played tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Salisbury (2-3) fell behind early in the game as Methodist (0-7)
scored the first two baskets; undeterred, the Sea Gulls fought back
with a series of three-pointers to take a lead over the Monarchs.
The first half was fast-paced and remained tight as both teams
battled for possession. Methodist began to pull ahead, but senior
guard Devin Jones (Severn, Md.) answered
back by scoring eight points in a span of three minutes to give the
Sea Gulls a four-point lead. The remainder of the half belonged to
Salisbury, as the maroon and gold scored a barrage of baskets to
take a 42-33 lead at halftime. Along with Jones' 11 points, junior
center Chris McGrew (Burtonsville, Md.) added
to the Sea Gull advantage by scoring 10 points in the first half.
The Sea Gulls blew the game open in the second half, going on a
16-1 scoring run. Jones added to his impressive first half,
finishing the game with 21 points. McGrew finished
with 18 points, while senior guard/forward Greg
Palmer (Salisbury, Md.) racked up 21 points and pulled
down eight rebounds.
The first game of the Classic, a match-up between Hampden-Sydney
College (4-1) and Ramapo College (4-2), resulted in an 87-78
Hampden-Sydney victory. The consolation game between Ramapo and
Methodist will be played at 2 p.m. tomorrow, followed by the
championship match-up between Salisbury and Hampden-Sydney.
