ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – A road win Wednesday night for Gallaudet University clinched at least one home United East women's basketball tournament game in a few weeks.
The Bison tangled with St. Mary's College of Maryland here Wednesday evening in the Michael P. O'Brien Athletics & Recreation Center Arena and defeated the Seahawks, 79-72.
Gallaudet (15-8, 8-2 United East) sits in second place of the Volt Division with two conference games to go. The Bison are two games up on St. Mary's (13-9, 6-4 United East) as the Seahawks are in third place with two games left.
GU is chasing Penn St.-Harrisburg (12-11, 9-1 United East) as the top two teams in the Volt Division will receive a bye in tournament play. Gallaudet's win on Wednesday night was a two-game swing between the Bison and Seahawks.
It was a wild fourth quarter on Wednesday as both teams scored 30 points each. Junior guard
Crystal Salit (Boyds, Md.) scored 10 of her 16 points in the final six minutes of play. Salit did work at the free throw line as she made 8 of 8 shots and finished the game a perfect 14-for-14 from the free throw line. Salit added four rebounds and four assists.
Senior forward
Cassidy Perry (Frederick, Md.) had another monster game with a 29-point and 15-rebound performance to record her 12th double-double of the season. Perry passed out a game-high six assists and swatted away three Seahawk shots and made one steal.
Four of the Bison starting five finished in double figures as senior guard
Rajena Guettler (Frederick, Md.) and first year
Cam Lexow (Abington, Pa.) joined Perry and Salit. Guettler tallied 12 points, nine boards and one assist while Lexow chipped in 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Gallaudet's fifth starter, junior guard
Claire Ruiz-Tucker (Frederick, Md.) was two points shy of double digits with eight points, four assists and three boards off the glass.
The Bison led 19-12 after the first quarter and took a 35-24 lead into halftime.
St. Mary's edged out Gallaudet in the third quarter, 18-14, as the Seahawks made four of their game-high seven 3-pointers.
The Seahawks were led on offense by Tramarie Mobray who scored a team-high 26 points off the bench. SMC had four players in double figures including Samantha Blaylock (16 points) and Olivia Liszt and Melanie Aguilar, who scored 10 each.
BISON TRACKS
- Sophomore Olivia Brown (Miami, Fla.) added two points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist off the bench
- First year Seanna Baird (Indianapolis, Ind.) tallied two points and two boards
- GU made 10 of 15 shots from the field (66.7 percent) in the fourth quarter
- The Bison finished the game with 21 of 25 free throws (84 percent) made
- Gallaudet was 18-for-20 (90 percent) from the free throw line in the second half
- GU scored 46 points in the paint
UP NEXT
Gallaudet will head north on Saturday, Feb. 10, for a 3 p.m. conference game at Penn St.-Berks (1-20, 0-11 United East). The Bison won the first match up 92-36 last month (Jan. 16) in the Field House.
