Junior Tyler Thurston scored a career-high 22 points to lead four players in double figures, as the University of Mary Washington men's basketball team topped Southern Virginia University, 82-64, in Capital Athletic Conference play.

The Eagles started strong, jumping out to a 12-0 lead in the opening four minutes. Sophomore Brent Mahoney led they way with seven points in the run, including a three pointer and a dunk. The Knights went on an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 14-8, but a three-point play from Thurston quickly stemmed the tide.

After the Knights trimmed the deficit to 21-14, UMW scored seven straight, including a three pointer from senior Taylor Johnson. The Eagles then used a 9-3 run to move the margin to 40-24 with 45 seconds left, capped by five points from Thurston. A late three pointer gave UMW a 40-27 lead at halftime.

A 15-5 run by Southern Virginia to open the second half cut the margin to 45-42 with 15:17 remaining. But from there, the Eagles heated up offensively, outscoring the Knights, 17-2, including three three pointers, and the lead returned to 18 at 62-44 with 11:16 left.

Another 8-0 spurt gave the Eagles a 70-47 lead, and six straight free throws and two baskets from Thurston gave UMW a 78-54 lead with 6:33 remaining. After a John Lutkenhaus layup moved the score to 82-58 with 4:46 left, Southern Virginia scored the last six points to cut the final margin to 82-64.

Thurston went 9-12 from the floor and 4-4 from the line en route to 22 points, while Mahoney scored 14 points, and Johnson and Matt Forrest each scored 11. Johnson led with eight rebounds.

The Eagles will visit Penn State Harrisburg on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.