St. Mary's City, Md. – Sophomore center Nina Haller (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) tallied a season-best 22 points Wednesday evening as the St. Mary's College of Maryland women's basketball team opened up Capital Athletic Conference action with a 69-58 loss to No. 24 Salisbury University.

Haller missed only two field goals as she finished 8-of-10 from the floor and posted a 6-for-7 effort at the free throw line. Haller also added six boards and two blocks while junior captain Anna McClain (Durham, N.C./Carolina Friends School) helped the Seahawks stay even with Salisbury in rebounding (41-41), pulling down a season-high eight boards. McClain collected seven points and six assists as well.

St. Mary's (0-4, 0-1 CAC) posted several season-highs in their battle against the nationally-ranked Sea Gulls. The Seahawks shot 41.5% (22-for-53) from the field, including 50% (11-of-22) in the second half as they outscored Salisbury 32-26 over the final 20 minutes. The team also had their best performance at the line, making 11-of-18 for 61.1%, while notching a season-best 15 assists.

Senior guard Sarah Seipp (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) and junior forward Kathy Albornoz (Lutherville, Md./Dulaney) combined for 15 points in giving Salisbury a 26-10 lead at 9:49 as Albornoz's layup capped a 26-8 run. Senior forward Aleisha Hobbs (Salisbury, Md./Mardela) maintained the lead at 16 with a layup at 8:13.

Sophomore guard Haley Riebling (Ellicott City, Md./Seton Keough) sparked an 8-0 run with a three-pointer at 7:47 as the Seahawks cut the deficit to 28-20 over a 2:35-minute span. St. Mary's hung around as back-to-back baskets by Haller kept an eight-point game at 2:07. The Sea Gulls closed out the half on a 9-0 run as St. Mary's committed three turnovers in the last 1:30 for a 43-26 SU halftime lead.

Haller and Seipp each picked up nine first-half points to lead their teams. Thirteen Seahawk miscues resulted in 31 Salisbury points while the Sea Gulls shot 50% from the floor and from downtown.

Salisbury (6-0, 1-0 CAC) stretched its lead to 50-28 at 15:32 as Seipp opened up the second half with a three-pointer. The Seahawks continued to battle and put together a 19-6 run to pull within 56-47 at 6:17 as another Riebling long ball ignited the run at 15:15 and senior captain Maddie Hook (Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) ended the run with a layup.

The Sea Gulls regained a double-digit advantage and boasted a 67-52 lead at 1:46. Haller answered with four straight points while first-year guard Olivia Nowlin (Glenelg, Md./Glenelg) knocked down a pair of free throws to complete a 6-0 St. Mary's run that made it a nine-point game with 37 seconds left.

Three Salisbury players scored in double digits as Seipp recorded a double-double with 18 points and game-high 12 boards while the CAC's scoring leader, senior guard Anna Hackett (Germantown, Md./Clarksburg), was held nine points below her average as Hackett finished with 12.

The Seahawks will be back in action this Saturday, December 6th, traveling to Arlington, Virginia to face Marymount University in another CAC tilt at 2:00 p.m.

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