Wesley Remains Atop of CAC Standings with Win over Seahawks
Dover, Del. - Senior guard Rashawn Johnson (Selbyville, Del./Sussex Tech) poured in 32 points in helping the Wesley College Wolverines overcome a 12-point second-half deficit to post a 97-93 victory over the St. Mary's College of Maryland men's basketball team Saturday afternoon in a Capital Athletic Conference clash.
The win strengthens Wesley's (11-5, 8-0 CAC) grip on the top spot in the CAC standings as the Wolverines remain undefeated in conference action. Despite having five Seahawks in twin figures, St. Mary's (13-4, 6-2 CAC) drops its second league contest as SMCM falls into a two-way for second with the University of Mary Washington.
Down 70-58 with 13:36 remaining in the game, the Wolverines clawed their way to their first lead of the contest with a 17-4 run as Johnson initiated the run with a pair of free throws and finished with 12 points in the run. Junior guard James Stratton (Magnolia, Del./Caesar Rodney) extended Wesley's lead to 88-81 at 4:30 as Stratton nailed a pair of three-pointers.
The Seahawks fought back with a 12-5 run in a three-minute span to knot the game at 93-93 with 1:26 to go. Stratton clinched the win with a lay-up (00:22) as St. Mary's missed the potential tying basket with nine ticks on clock then turned the ball over three seconds later.
Stratton finished with 22 points as he and Johnson combined for 54 points. Sophomore Rudy Thomas (Milton, Del./Sussex Tech) added 10, while senior forward Alphonzo Wright (Dover, Del./Polytech) grabbed 12 rebounds.
Junior guard Camontae Griffin (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar) led the Seahawks with 27 points as Griffin connected on 10-of-17 (2-of-3 from downtown), while freshman guard James Davenport (Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield) matched his season-high with 15 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting, including going 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Senior center Alex Irmer (Alexandria, Va./Wakefield) contributed 13, while sophomore forward Mike Fitzpatrick (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) had 11.
Sophomore guard Alex Franz (Catonsville, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) had a solid game for SMCM with 10 points, a game-high seven assists, and six boards, while senior forward Calvin Wise (Bel Air, Md./Calvert Hall) hauled in a game- and season-best 13 caroms.
St. Mary's owned a 54-48 halftime advantage after opening up with a 7-0 run, increasing that lead to 10 five times with the last one coming at 1:27 (52-42). Johnson led all players with 18 points on 7-of-10 from the field, including notching 3-of-5 long-range shots, while Griffin wasn't far behind with 17 on 6-of-10 shooting.
St. Mary's will look to regroup next Wednesday, January 28 when the Seahawks host Stevenson University in a CAC tilt at 8:00. The men's game will be the second of Wednesday's CAC twin bill as the women face the Mustangs at 6:00.
