ABINGTON, Pa. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team battled for a four-point victory in the regular-season finale Wednesday night (Feb. 14). St. Mary's College (14-11, 9-3 UEC) held on for an 85-81 road victory over Penn State Abington (8-17, 2-11 UEC). The win gives the Seahawks the season series sweep over Abington.
 
SMCM now heads into the 2024 United East Conference Volt Division Men's Basketball Championship Tournament as the No. 3 seed. St. Mary's College will host No. 6 seed Gallaudet University (3-22, 2-10 UEC) this Saturday, February 17, at 12:30 p.m. in the Volt Division First Round.
 
How It Happened

• The Seahawks could not miss in the first half as SMCM knocked down 67.9-percent of its shots, including going 5-of-7 from downtown, on its way to a 52-39 halftime advantage.
• Kolby Miller pulled Abington within five (19-14) with a pair of free throws at 12:55 before St. Mary's College went on a 25-15 run to stake its biggest lead of the game, 44-29, at 4:13. Fifth-year captain Daryn Alexander (Twinbrook, Md./Richard Montgomery) led the Seahawks in the run with nine points while sophomore forward Jake Koverman (Severna Park, Md./Southern) added seven.
• The tables flipped in the second half. SMCM's shooting accuracy dipped to 38.7-percent over the final 20 minutes while Abington's stayed constant at 50.0-percent.
• The Nittany Lions opened the second stanza with a 10-2 run in the first four minutes to close the gap to five (54-49).
• St. Mary's College regained a double-digit lead twice, leading by 10 (61-51) at 13:33 on a fast break layup by senior forward Gary Grant (Washington, D.C./Thomas Stone [Md.]) and again at 4:58 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Grant, but were unable to shake Abington. Grant went on to notch 16 of his points in the second half.
• The hosts strung together a 12-4 run to trim the deficit to two (83-81) with 25 seconds to go as Jake Schalki capped the run with a three-pointer.
• Alexander and sophomore guard Micah Henry (Laurel, Md./Hammond) combined for a 3-of-4 effort at the free throw line to seal the win.

 
Inside the Box Score

• In the last two weeks of the regular season, the Seahawks have recorded their top-three field goal percentages of the season. SMCM finished tonight's contest with a season second-best 52.5-percent (31-59) from the field. They also made 6-of-10 three-pointers to tie their season-high three-point field goal percentage of .600.
• St. Mary's College cleaned up the glass well, posting a rebounding margin of 42-24 behind a career-best 12 boards from first-year guard Kyree Smith (Baltimore, Md./City).

 
St. Mary's College Game Notes

• Five Seahawks finished the night scoring in double digits. Henry and Grant led the way with 16 points each while Henry added three boards and two assists.
• Alexander finished with 15 points, three assists, and two steals while Koverman and senior captain Hollique Johnson (Glen Burnie, Md./Old Mill) each contributed 12 points. Johnson and Koverman grabbed six and five caroms, respectively, as well.
• In addition to his career-high 12 rebounds, Smith chipped in seven points and four assists.

 
Penn State Abington Game Notes

• Miller finished with a game-high 20 points to lead the Nittany Lions in their fourth straight loss.

 
Up Next for the Seahawks

• Feb. 17 vs. No. 6 seed Gallaudet (3-22, 2-10 UEC) – St. Mary's City, Md. (MPOARC Arena) – 12:30 pm (Volt Division First Round)

 
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