No. 20 Seahawks Get Past Arcadia, 74-62
St. Mary's City, Md. - Four Seahawk players in double digits helped the No. 20 St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team notch a 74-62 non-conference victory over the visiting Knights of Arcadia University Saturday afternoon.
Junior guard Camontae Griffin (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar) returned to his 20+ point form this afternoon as Griffin led all players with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. He also matched his career-high with a game-high five assists. Sophomore forward Mike Bowden (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) also put on a strong performance for the Seahawks as Bowden contributed 16 points off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting.
Arcadia (5-7) played the Seahawks (9-2) tough in the first half as the Knights held a 31-28 margin at intermission behind 10 points from senior guard Bobby Mulholland (Wildwood Crest, N.J./Wildwood). The first stanza witnessed six lead changes as neither team was able to truly pull away. Both squads made 50% of their shots, but AU edged St. Mary's from behind the three-point line, 4 to 1.
The Seahawks did out-rebound the Knights, 18-8, as senior forward Calvin Wise (Bel Air, Md./Calvert Hall) and sophomore guard Alex Franz (Catonsville, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) combined for nine boards. Franz paced SMCM in the first 20 minutes with eight points and four caroms.
Sophomore forward Mike Fitzpatrick's (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) two free throws at 9:59 sparked a 20-12 run which finally gave the Seahawks control of the game as SMCM led 62-55 with 4:20 left in the contest. In the second half alone, St. Mary's shot a blistering 75% from the floor as the Seahawks missed only six attempts en route to their 12-point victory. The team's second-half field goal percentage of .750 was the highest thus far this season, helping the Seahawks finish at a .630 clip for the game.
In addition to Griffin and Bowden, Franz and Wise also finished in twin figures. Franz added 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Wise chipped in 10 points and a game-high nine caroms, making five of his six attempts. The Seahawks finished with a 36-22 rebounding margin as well.
Junior guard Damien Palantino (Philadelphia, Pa./Father Judge) paced his Knights with 15 points as Palantino went 5-for-9 from downtown, while Mulholland ended up with 13 after going 1-for-4 in the second half. After shooting 50% in the first 20 minutes, Arcadia dropped to 33% in the second stanza.
St. Mary's returns to Capital Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, January 7 as the Seahawks host Salisbury University at 8:00. The men's game will be the second of Wednesday's CAC doubleheader as the St. Mary's women face Salisbury at 6:00 in the ARC Arena.
