WBOC-TV 16, Delmarvas News Leader, FOX 21 - Salisbury Tops Stevenson, 62-56, to Advance to CAC Semifinals

SALISBURY, Md. – The third-seeded Salisbury University women's basketball team held off a late charge from sixth-seeded Stevenson University to claim a 62-56 victory in the first round of the CAC tournament at Maggs Physical Activities Center on Tuesday.

Trailing for most of the second half, Stevenson (10-16) got to within one at 50-49 on a Kyarra Harmon jumper with 6:20 to play but the Sea Gulls pulled away to earn their first CAC tournament win since the 2007-08 season.

With the win, SU (15-10) advances to face second-seeded York (Pa.) College on Thursday at 7 p.m., in the semifinals on the road at Charles Wolf Gym.

Junior Katie McGahagan followed Harmon's bucket with four consecutive points to push the lead to 54-50 with 4:33 left and senior KC Curran drained a three-pointer with just 1:48 remaining to put the game away.

The Sea Gulls converted 5-of-6 free throws for down the stretch for the final margin.

Freshman Anna Hackett led SU with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and junior Nicole Sisco recorded her eighth career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Hackett also had a game-high six assists to go with three steals.

Tied, 8-8, five-and-a-half minutes in, Salisbury scored five straight points to take a 13-8 advantage at the 11:17 mark. Sisco started the run with a layup followed by a Curran jumper and Hackett free throw for the largest lead of the half by either team.

Stevenson's Sam Murray made a free throw of her own and a three-pointer to cut the Sea Gulls' lead to 13-12 midway through the half.

Harmon knocked down a jump shot with 7:53 left for the lead but senior Meghan Dunn responded with a jumper off of an offensive rebound to regain the lead for SU, 17-16.

Murray later hit a three for the Mustangs' final lead of the half at 19-17 with 6:48 before the break. From there, Salisbury scored 10 of the last 16 points, keyed by a Ruiz three-pointer, starting the stretch, to take a 27-25 advantage into the locker room.

Murray led a group of three Mustangs in double figures with 13 points.