Senior Taylor Johnson celebrated his final game at the Anderson Center with 19 points, nine rebounds, five steals and three assists to lead the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team to a 71-59 win over Southern Virginia University on Wednesday night in Capital Athletic Conference play. The Eagles improve to 7-17 overall, 7-10 in league play, and climb into the sixth spot for next week's CAC Tournament with one game remaining.
The Eagles started strong, with a pair of three pointers by Johnson following an opening trifecta from sophomore Brent Mahoney, and UMW led, 9-4, minutes into play. The Knights cut the lead down to one on three occasions, but each time the Eagles answered with baskets to keep the lead.
Johnson hit another three pointer with 8:02 left in the half to give UMW a 22-17 advantage, and the lead swelled to 14, at 32-18, with 2:06 left on an Eric Shaw free throw. Freshman Tyler Lucy capped the half with a three pointer to give UMW a 17-point advantage, 39-22, at halftime.
A Shaw dunk to open the second half propelled the Eagles, who led by 25, at 54-29, with 13:52 remaining. A three point play from sophomore Isaac Blue with 6:10 remaining gave UMW a 64-42 lead, but the Knights answered with nine straight points to cut the deficit to 64-51 with 4:32 left.
A three pointer from sophomore Asa Scott stopped the run, and a layup from Johnson with 3:19 to play gave the Eagles a 69-53 lead. The Knights scored six straight to cut the score to 69-59, but freshman Miguel Kissoon capped the scoring with a jumper with 22 seconds left to give UMW a 71-59 win.
Johnson led all scorers with 19 points, and tied for a team high with nine rebounds. He added five steals and three assists. Shaw reached double figures with 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds for UMW.
The Eagles shot 41.7% (25-60) from the field, making 11-27 three pointers and 10-18 free throws. Southern Virginia shot 39.3% (22-56), making 3-11 three pointers and 12-20 free throws. The Knights led in rebounds, 43-38, but committed 21 turnovers.
Mary Washington will close the regular season on Saturday when they visit Wesley College at 3:00 p.m. UMW currently holds a one-game lead over Frostburg State for the sixth and final spot in the CAC Tournament, which will be played next week.