NORTH EAST, Md. - Cecil men's basketball picked up an important Region 20 DII victory on Saturday, as the Seahawks took down Southern Maryland by 14 points at home.

The Hawks came into the weekend slightly ahead of Cecil in the Region 20 standings due to Cecil's loss to Chesapeake mid-week. With just a few divisional games left on both teams schedule, the stakes for this matchup were high. The Seahawks would trail by six at halftime, but outscored Southern Maryland by 20 points in the second half to secure the win. The victory plants Cecil in third place behind Howard and the aformentioned Chesapeake, while the Hawks slide to fourth with the Seahawks owning the tiebreaking.

Cecil received monster efforts from Jordan Strickland and Vernon Simmons to secure the comeback. Strickland entered the game off the bench and slammed Southern Maryland for 26 points and 17 rebounds. The sophomore forward registered a double-double in the second half alone, tallying 13 points and 10 boards in 14 minutes. Simmons also did most of his work after halftime, scoring 19 of his 22 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.

With the win, the Seahawks improve to 15-12 (6-2 Region 20) on the season. They have three more games left, all of which are against Region 20 DII opponents.

Turning Point

Cecil tipped off the second half with a 12-1 run to take the lead from the Hawks. Southern Maryland would close the gap to one on a couple of occasions, but the Seahawks never surrendured the lead.

Box Score Highlights

• Dominick Carrington scored 16 points
• Marlon Lewis had 11 points, a half-dozen rebounds, and four blocks
• Cecil nearly doubled-up Southern Maryland in rebounds, 50-27
• The Seahawks knocked down 81% of its free throws

Up Next

Cecil remains at home to face CCBC-Dundalk on Wednesday, February 21 at 7 p.m.