Box Score
Greensboro, N.C. – The No. 13 St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team suffered a 61-57 setback to host Guilford College Monday night in their first game of the New Year and first since December 18. Senior guard Alex Franz (Catonsville, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) notched 15 points in the loss that snapped the Seahawks' four-game win streak.
Sophomore guard Josh Pittman (Archdale, N.C./Trinity) scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second half of Guilford's 61-57 comeback win over St. Mary's as the Quakers (7-5) erased a nine-point halftime deficit to upend the Seahawks. The defensive struggle saw both teams shoot 39 percent from the floor and featured seven ties and 14 lead changes.
St. Mary's (9-3) held Guilford to eight-of-26 field-goal shooting (28.6%) in the first half and closed the period on a 6-0 spurt to take a 31-22 halftime lead. Franz scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the opening frame.
Junior guard Gabriel Lowder's (Yadkinville, N.C./North Forsyth) jumper capped a 14-4 Guilford run to start the second half and gave the hosts a 36-35 edge with 13:21 to play. The teams traded the lead seven times over the next eight minutes before Pittman's jumper at the 5:08 mark gave Guilford the lead for good at 49-48.
Junior forward Tobi Akinsola's (Cary, N.C./Word of God Christian) dunk with 1:20 remaining opened Guilford's largest advantage (57-51), but four free throws sandwiched around a Pittman turnover drew St. Mary's back to within 57-55 with 45 seconds left. The Seahawks made a strong defensive stand on the ensuing possession, but Pittman's 25-foot three-pointer with the shot clock running out iced the win.
Akinsola finished with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds, four on the offensive glass. Guilford held St. Mary's to two-for-nine shooting from the floor in the final 7:37.
Senior center Sam Burum (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) joined Franz as the Seahawks' double-figure scorers with 12. Sophomore guard Devin Spencer (Baltimore, Md./Towson Catholic) chipped in eight points and first-year center Christian MacAuley (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
St. Mary's looks to get back in the win column Wednesday night as the Seahawks resume Capital Athletic Conference action at Marymount University in Arlington, Va. Tip-off is at 8:00 pm.
