ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team remained undefeated in United East Conference action Friday night (Jan. 5) as four starters scored in double digits. St. Mary's College (7-8, 2-0 UEC) collected a 79-62 victory over Penn College (4-11, 1-2 UEC) to snap a two-game skid.
 
How It Happened

• The Seahawks broke a 3-3 draw with 11 straight points behind three consecutive three-pointers from forwards Hollique Johnson (Glen Burnie, Md./Old Mill) and Jake Koverman (Severna Park, Md./Southern) and first-year guard James Lerner (Herndon, Va./Maret).
• Penn College responded with a run of its own to close the gap to 14-12 at 12:53 behind five points from Alec Cooper.
• Johnson knocked down consecutive triples and first-year guard Ben Kobil (Washington, D.C./Jackson-Reed) add a three-pointer of his own to give St. Mary's a 30-20 advantage at 6:40.
• The Wildcats headed into the break with a two-point lead (38-36) after ending the half on an 18-6 run. Livingston Cross and David Brown each tallied eight points in the run.
• It was a highly-contested second half with neither side owning more than a one-point lead.
• SMCM looked to pull away midway through the half, gaining a 62-54 advantage at 7:18 as an old-fashioned three-point play by Johnson capped a 15-6 run.
• Penn College cut the deficit to four under three minutes later with another long-range shot from Brown.
• The Seahawks put the game away with a 15-2 run to close out the game, connecting on all five field goals as sophomore guard Micah Henry (Laurel, Md./Hammond) led the way with eight points.
• Penn College went 0-for-3 from downtown and turned the ball over three times in the final three minutes.

 
Inside the Box Score

• St. Mary's finished the game shooting a season-best 49.2-percent (29-59) from the field, including a season second-best 45.5-percent (10-22) from downtown. The Seahawks made season-highs of 29 field goals and 10 three-pointers.
• The Seahawks put on a strong defensive stance as well, collecting a season-best 13 steals and matching a season second-best five blocks.
• SMCM also made the most of its trips to the free throw line, hitting 11-of-13.
• St. Mary's gained 21 points off 20 Wildcat turnovers, notching a +6-turnover margin.
• Penn College cleaned up the glass with a 40-31 rebounding margin behind 10 boards from Cross while outplaying the hosts in the paint, 36-26.

 
St. Mary's College Game Notes

• Fifth-year captain Daryn Alexander (Twinbrook, Md./Richard Montgomery) paced the Seahawks with 17 points, seven caroms, three assists, and a career-best two blocks.
• Koverman finished the night with season-bests of 16 points and two helpers plus four boards and one block.
• Henry contributed 15 points and picked a career-best five pockets.
• Johnson chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds plus one block.

 
Penn College Game Notes

• Cross ended the night as the game's leading scorer and rebounder with 21 points and 10 boards.
• Gavin Barrett, the conference's assist leader, had a near triple-double with 11 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. Barrett also notched seven steals.

 
Up Next for the Seahawks

• Jan. 10 at Penn State Berks (2-10, 1-1 UEC) – Reading, Pa. – 5 p.m.
• Jan. 13 at Gallaudet (1-12, 0-2 UEC) – Washington, D.C. (Field House) – 1 p.m.

 
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