SALISBURY, Md.– After ending regulation tied at 77, Eastern University Men's Basketball held the host Salisbury University Sea Gulls to a single basket in overtime to earn an 87-79 win in the season-opener for both squads. Senior guard Jaron Fairweather scored seven of his 15 points in extra time, and junior guard Kaeshawn Ward scored 21 points to lead five Eastern players in double figures.

After the Eagles clawed back from a 37-28 halftime deficit to pull within a point at 51-50, the Sea Gulls put together a 9-0 run in under 40 seconds to push their lead to 60-50 with nine minutes to play. The Salisbury lead was still six with just under seven minutes to play when the Eastern defense sparked a 5-to-0 run. Kevin Reeves scored a pair of baskets in the burst.

The Sea Gulls pushed the lead to 69-66 before Kaeshawn Ward connected for three points from the left wing off a pass from Sam Gallardo. Ward finished with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Headed five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Ward's final 3-pointer of the night came in answer to a pair of Salisbury free throws and put the Eagles up 72-71.with a little more than three minutes to play.

Reeves then stole the inbounds pass and fed Zubair Lee for the inside basket. Lee finished while being fouled but missed the free throw, and the Eastern lead stood at 74-71. Lee, a first-year forward from Voorhees, N.J. scored 17 points in his collegiate debut. The Eastern offense stalled for a bit and Salisbury priced together a 6-to-0 run to put the hosts up 77-74 with over a minute to play in regulation.

The Eagles  worked the next offensive possession brilliantly and Ward kicked a pass to Gallardo on the right. The senior guard had the smallest bit of space and hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. The Eastern defense held its ground at the other end as Fairweather snatched a defensive rebound to end their possession. Eastern's final possession went empty and the two teams went to overtime.

While the Sea Gulls only scored two points in the overtime, the game was within reach for the hosts until Fairweather connected on a 3-pointer with 55 seconds to play for an 84-79 Eastern lead. In the extra period, the  Eastern defense forced three turnovers and held Salisbury to only 1-of-7 shooting.

The Eagles jumped to a 16-6 lead, but Salisbury closed out the first half on a 22-to-7 run. The Eagles shot only 44 percent from the floor and took only seven free throws in the opening 20 minutes. Eastern host 62 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent from behind the arc in scoring 49 second-half points.

Greg Bloodsworth scored a game-high 25, and Brandon Craig scored 22 before fouling out with three minutes to play. The two fifth-year guards combined for 36 shots. 

"Their guards were really good," Head Coach Dan Pruessner said after the game. "They were able to create off the bounce and cause us problems, but I we made some adjustments and and learned a little bit in the process. We have a lot of returning pieces, but we also look very different, and for at least a little while, we are going to have to figure out how to get results while figuring out who we are. Kevin came in today and was huge. He stepped into a different role today and was so influential. He was able to guard bigs and switch out on their guards, and he scored a couple big baskets."

"If you look at the game," he continued. "We had a bunch of guys step up and make big plays at either end of the floor that helped us get the win. Zubair put up some great offensive numbers today, but we are just as excited about what he did to impact shots and help us defend at the other end. This was a good win to start the season.

Gallardo was fouled seven time sand Lee eight to help the Eagles to get into the double-bonus early in the second half. Gallardo finished with 14 points and five assists. Lee grabbed six rebounds and was credited with two blocks, six rebounds,  and a pair of steals. Fairweather finished with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Reeves was 5-of-6 from the floor with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

The Eagles are back in action with neutral-site game against Wilson College on Friday night at Gettysburg College. The Phoenix won the CSAC in 2021-22 and were picked first in that league for this year.