ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team went 8-of-11 from the free throw line over the final minute to hold on for their fifth win of the season Saturday afternoon (Jan. 3). St. Mary's College (5-6) earned a hard-fought 67-62 non-conference victory over Eastern Mennonite University (3-8) as first-year guard Korey Blair (Baltimore, Md./Overlea) dropped 20 points.
 
How It Happened

• Eastern Mennonite owned the lead only once in the entire game, taking a 2-0 lead at 18:55 on a layup by Jazen Walker.
• The Seahawks controlled the first half from that point on as sophomore James Crimaudo (Riva, Md./South River) scored seven straight to fuel a 9-0 run, giving the hosts a 9-2 margin at 15:36.
• SMCM grew its advantage to 14 (22-8) at 7:43 thanks to a pair of free throws by senior captain JD Salo (Dunkirk, Md./Northern) for his first points of the game.
• The Royals outscored St. Mary's College, 13-9, to close out the half and head into halftime down 31-21.
• EMU came out of the locker room roaring to go, opening the second stanza with a 21-11 run to knot the contest at 42-all as Aaron Brooks drained his only triple of the game with 9:27 left in the game.
• Eastern Mennonite never reclaimed the lead but pulled within 57-55 at 2:38 on a Brooks' layup.
• Blair doubled the Seahawks' lead with his layup in response at two-minute mark before SMCM went 8-of-11 from the charity stripe to seal the win.

 
Inside the Box Score

• St. Mary's College converted 12 Royal turnovers into 14 points while edging EMU in the paint, 32-24.
• Both teams struggled with their perimeter shooting as the two sides combined for 5-of-37 from downtown.
• The Seahawks finished the game 21-of-29 (72.4%) from the free throw line while Eastern Mennonite was 19-of-33 (57.6%).
• SMCM posted a +7-rebounding margin as Salo (11) and Crimaudo combined for 20 of the team's 45 rebounds.

 
St. Mary's College Game Notes

• Blair recorded a 20-point game for the second time in as many games as he paced St. Mary's College with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the free throw line.
• Crimaudo finished with 18 points, a career-best nine boards, and two steals while Salo contributed a game- and season-best 11 caroms plus eight points.

 
Eastern Mennonite Game Notes

• Brooks led all players with 22 points while adding four assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
• Donovan Arnason added a dozen points while Isaiah Carr put up 10 points and eight caroms.

 
Up Next for the Seahawks

• Jan. 7 at Cairn (9-4, 2-0 UEC) – Langhorne, Pa. (Mason Activity Center) – 1 pm
• Jan. 10 vs. Penn State Abington (1-12, 1-2 UEC) – St. Mary's City, Md. (MPOARC Arena) – 1 pm (Youth Day)

 
Facebook: StMarysAthletics | Instagram: @smcseahawks, @seahawksmbb
X (formerly Twitter): @smcseahawks, @SMCM_MBB | Hashtags: #GoSeahawks #SeahawkPROUD