ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – Sophomore James Crimaudo (Riva, Md./South River) and first-year guard Khairi Hyde (Gaithersburg, Md./Wootton) paced the St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team Saturday afternoon (Jan. 10). St. Mary's College (5-8, 1-2 UEC) lost a tough 68-59 decision to Penn State Abington (2-13, 2-3 UEC) in United East Conference action.
 
How It Happened

• The first seven minutes of the game were back-and-forth with five lead changes and four tied scores. Penn State Abington gained the early edge in the game as JoJo Kelly's four points helped the Nittany Lions build a 10-8 lead with 13:58 left in the half.
• Hyde's layup at 13:21 tied the contest at 10-all and sparked a 17-5 run which put the Seahawks up 25-15 at 4:24, the hosts' biggest lead of the day. Back-to-back triples from first-year guard Korey Blair (Baltimore, Md./Overlea) and senior captain Jake Koverman (Severna Park, Md./Southern) strengthened the run.
• SMCM headed into halftime with a 31-27 advantage as timely three's by Tamir Powell and Tyler Fox allowed Abington to trim the deficit before the break.
• St. Mary's College kept the Nittany Lions at bay in the first few minutes of the second stanza, but a Kelly layup tied the game at 13:28. Then the two sides began to jockey for position, trading leads for the next four minutes.
• Abington grabbed the last lead of the game at 8:59 with a Kelly triple. Blair knotted the contest at 51-all at 6:59 with a three-ball of his own but the Seahawks would not regain the lead the rest of the way.
• The Nittany Lions went on to close out the game with a 17-8 run for the win.

 
Inside the Box Score

• SMCM continued its solid play in the paint, edging the visitors, 32-28.
• Both sides knocked down six triples each while Abington notched a 43-40 edge in rebounds.
• The Nittany Lions had the hot hand in the second half, shooting 51.6-percent from the field to finish the game with a 43.6-field goal percentage.

 
St. Mary's College Game Notes

• Crimaudo recorded his first career double-double with a team-best 16 points and career-high 11 rebounds while adding two assists and one steal.
• Hyde finished with 12 points, a career-best eight boards, two assists, and two steals.
• Koverman and Blair both chipped in eight points.

 
Penn State Abington Game Notes

• Kelly put up 20 points, seven caroms, one block and one steal while Tyler Meinel scored 15 and Fox dropped a dozen to lead the Nittany Lions to their second win of the season.

 
Up Next for the Seahawks

• Jan. 13 at Wilson (5-11, 1-3 UEC) – Chambersburg, Pa. (Gannett Memorial Field House) – 5 pm
• Jan. 17 at Lancaster Bible (11-4, 3-0 UEC) – Lancaster, Pa. (Horst Athletic Center) – 1 pm

 
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