Hall and Johnson propel Sea Gulls to win over St. Mary's (Md.)
SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University women's basketball team picked up a huge Capital Athletic Conference victory Monday night as they defeated St. Mary's (Md.) College, 76-59, for the sweep of the season series. The offense was in rhythm from the onset ,as the Sea Gulls opened up the game on a 13-4 run. SU continued the torrid pace for the remainder of the game as the Sea Gulls shot a season-best 52 percent from the floor.
Salisbury (5-15, 5-6 CAC) received monster games from junior forwards Kylie Hall and Janay Johnson. Hall grabbed a season-high 18 rebounds and poured in 16 points for her sixth double-double of the season. Johnson drained a team-high 22 points, snagged nine rebounds and recorded two blocks. The performance marks the third time in five games that Johnson has eclipsed 20 points. She had accomplished the feat just once in the previous 15 games.
The Sea Gulls shot a blistering 50 percent from the field in the first half as Hall and Johnson scored 12 points apiece. The Sea Gulls were also ferocious on defense as St. Mary's (6-13, 4-7 CAC) was able to muster just 18 points on 7-of-27 shooting from the floor. SU caused 10 Seahawk turnovers in the first half as SU built a 10-point advantage, 27-17, through the first 15 minutes of play. The Sea Gulls dominated the final five minutes of the frame as they went on a 14-1 run to close out the first half. A Johnson three-pointer at the buzzer extended the Salisbury lead to 23 points, 41-18, at halftime.
The majority of the second half mirrored the first as the Sea Gulls continued to pour on the offense. Salisbury had built its largest lead at 26 points, 63-37, with 3:58 left to play but St. Mary's began to apply pressure and force Sea Gull mistakes. The Seahawks shaved as many as 10 points off the Sea Gull lead in the final four minutes but it was not enough as Salisbury fended off the late surge for the win.
Freshman guard Megan Dunn (10 points, two rebounds) was the only other Sea Gull in double figures. Salisbury's back court of sophomore guard Chante McKinney (nine points, four assists, four steals) and freshman guard Glen Charlton (nine points, three assists, three steals) turned in solid performances as well. Freshman guard Katherine Curran (six points), sophomore forward Kelsey Netter (two points) and sophomore Mary Mattson (two points) each contributed buckets in the win.
St. Mary's was paced by senior Allie Scott (five rebounds, two steals) who scored a game-high 27 points on a 9-of-20 shooting effort from the floor. Sophomore Tiara Hurte added 16 points, two rebounds, and two steals in the loss.
The maroon and gold will be back-in-action this weekend, Saturday, February 7, as they will host Wesley College at 2 p.m. as part of a double-header with the men's basketball team. 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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