SALISBURY, Md. – The Marymount (Va.) University men's basketball team pieced together a great first half on Wednesday night, pulling ahead of No. 12 Salisbury University by as much as 10 points. But it was not enough to slow down the Sea Gulls, dropping an 80-60 decision in Capital Athletic Conference play. 

A slow start for the Saints, trailing 5-0 to start the game, forced Head Coach Chris Rogers to take a quick timeout to regroup. The short talk proved helpful, as MU came out to answer with five-straight points off a three pointer by sophomore Brandon Rogers and a tip-in finish by junior Dimitri Rucker. 

Salisbury continued to push offensively, eventually building up to a 14-9 advantage by the 11:19 mark in the first half, but back-to-back and-one finishes by freshmen Taiga Walker and LaDarius McCord sparked a fire in the Saints. The two and-ones gave MU its first lead of the game, 15-14, and it would remain that way through the remainder of the half. 

The Saints built up to as much as a 10-point lead in the first half when Walker picked up a loose ball on the offensive end and went up strong in the paint for the tough finish and the 29-19 advantage. By the break, the Sea Gulls inched back into the game, cutting the deficit to three, as Marymount carried a 31-28 lead into the locker room. 

Senior Michael Anderson paced the offense through the first 20 minutes with seven points and four rebounds, while Walker commanded the defense with three of the team's four steals. 

The restart worked in favor of the Saints, opening the first possession with a long ball by freshman Ibrahim Kamara to push a six-point lead. The Sea Gulls, however, battled back with a good defensive front to retake the advantage by the 16:15 mark and maintaining it through the remainder of the game.

Anderson led all Saint scorers with 10 points, while Rucker and Rogers chipped in for nine and eight, respectively. 

The Saints return home on Saturday, January 14 for their next game, welcoming Frostburg State University to the Verizon Sports Arena for a CAC matchup. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.