Falcons rally past Seahawks in final seconds, 73-72

NEWPORT, R.I. - Sophomore Raymond Askew (Hamden, Conn.) knocked down a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining as Albertus Magnus scored the final eight points of the game to stun Salve Regina University 73-72 in non-conference men's basketball action Monday night at Rodgers Recreation Center.

Junior Walden St. Juste (Hartford, Conn.) scored a game-high 27 points for the Falcons (1-0), including 16 in the second half and nine in the final 3:17 of the contest.

Following a three-pointer from freshman Trey Scales (Boston, Mass.) that gave the Seahawks a 72-65 lead, St. Juste converted a pair of layups and made one-of-two from the line to make it 72-71 with 35 seconds left. Following a turnover by Salve Regina senior Jabreche Boyd (West Haven, Conn.) and a subsequent foul on Askey, the 6-6 forward calmly sank two free throws to put the Falcons up one with 16 seconds left. The Seahawks had one final chance to tie the game, but a layup attempt by junior Ryan Birrell (Hope, R.I.) was blocked by Askew.

"I thought our kids played very hard tonight. Albertus Magnus did a great job making plays both on the defensive and offensive end," said Seahawk head coach Sean Foster. "Our kids will get better, learn to stay composed, and handle pressure a little bit better. If they do, we have a bright future ahead of us."

St. Juste netted 11 first-half points to help the Falcons to a 32-27 halftime lead. The visitors shot 40.6% from the field but made just six of their 12 free throw attempts. Junior Dan Royce (Mahwah, N.J.) paced the Seahawks with 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Seahawks hit just 11-of-32 shots in the opening stanza.

Salve Regina trailed by as many as eight early in the second half, but a pair of three-point field goals by Boyd five minutes in gave the Seahawks a 45-42 lead. Following two field goals by Albertus Magnus freshman Jefferson Lora (Bronx, N.Y.), Birrell buried a three-pointer that gave the Seahawks a 48-46 lead which they held until the final seconds of the contest.

Birrell finished with a team-high 21 points while Royce dropped in 19 points and snared a game-high 18 boards. Boyd tallied 12 points and grabbed nine boards and Scales finished with six points in his first collegiate game. Askey finished with 21 and 16 rebounds for Albertus Magnus while Lora notched 11.

The Seahawks finished the evening shooting 36.5% from the field and 63.3% from the charity stripe. The Falcons, meanwhile, shot 40.9% from the field and made 16-of-26 from the free throw line.

The Seahawks return to action this Friday when they compete in the Wheaton Tournament. Albertus Magnus played next Tuesday at WCSU.