Seahawks Thrash Hood to Remain Perfect in CAC
Frederick, Md. - Balanced scoring in which five players reached double figures helped the St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball easily dispatch Hood College, 92-72, Saturday afternoon in Capital Athletic Conference action.
St. Mary's remains atop of the conference standings with an 11-2 overall record and an unblemished 4-0 mark in the CAC. The University of Mary Washington (6-5, 3-0 CAC) and Wesley College (6-5, 3-0 CAC) have also not lost a league game yet.
The Seahawks broke a 21-21 tie with a 9-0 run and never trailed again, heading into intermission with a 43-33 advantage behind a dozen points from senior forward Calvin Wise (Bel Air, Md./Calvert Hall), while senior center Alex Irmer (Alexandria, Va./Wakefield) added 10 off the bench. The duo combined for an 11-of-16 effort from the floor as the Seahawks shot 58.1% as a squad in the first half.
A 12-point performance by freshman guard Brenden Straughn (New Carrollton, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) paced Hood (4-9, 1-3 CAC) at the half. Junior forward J'Air Brady (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) chipped in 10 points.
Hood was no match for St. Mary's as the Blazers caught no closer than 47-38 at 18:00 following a Straughn lay-up. The Seahawks would eventually lead by 20 or more after a Wise lay-up at 12:47, putting his team up 68-48. Sophomore guard Alex Franz (Catonsville, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) gave SMCM its biggest lead of the afternoon with his lay-up at 8:20 - a 79-50 margin.
The Seahawks finished the game shooting 52.1%, including 45.5% from downtown as sophomore forward Mike Fitzpatrick (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) was a perfect 3-for-3. Fitzpatrick went on to contribute 11 points, two steals and a block for St. Mary's.
The frontcourt tandem of Irmer and Wise both notched 18 points to pace their team. The 18 points were a season-high for Wise, who also grabbed seven rebounds and matched his career-high with three steals. Junior guard Camontae Griffin (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar) added 14 points, while Franz chipped in 12 points and a season-high seven assists.
Brady led all players with 19 points, while Straughn had 18 and senior center Jeff Willison (Hancock, Md./Hancock) added 14 and seven caroms. Sophomore center Tyler Snoots (Frederick, Md./Gov. Thomas Johnson) hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds.
St. Mary's will take on York (Pa.) College on the road in CAC action next Wednesday, January 14 at 8:00. The men's game will be the second of Wednesday's league doubleheader as the St. Mary's women face York at 6:00.
