STAUNTON, Va. – The Southern Virginia University Men's Basketball team traveled to Mary Baldwin University Tuesday evening for the first round of the USA South conference tournament.

The Knights opened the game firing on all cylinders, with Abe Connolly leading the way, drilling his first two 3-pointers. His second attempt gave the team an 8-0 advantage after just two minutes of play.

Five straight points from Mary Baldwin's Brett Asbury would square the game at 14 just before the under-12 media timeout. Following the timeout, the Squirrels would grab their first lead of the contest, capping a 10-0 run.

Southern Virginia would then go on a scoring run of its own, tallying 15 straight points to take a 30-20 lead. The teams traded baskets over the final few minutes of the first half, but the Knights would take a seven-point advantage into the break.

Over the first three-plus minutes of the second stanza Southern Virginia's lead would expand to 12 points following five straight successful attempts from the field to begin the half.

Just as the Squirrels started to gain some momentum after cutting the deficit to eight, Jamarcus Robertson recorded five straight points to spark an 8-0 run by the Knights.

Southern Virginia's defense played exceptionally during the run, holding the home team scoreless for almost five minutes.

Abe Connolly's fifth 3-pointer of the night would give Southern Virginia an 18-point lead, its largest of the game.

Mary Baldwin left everything on the court in the final minutes of regulation, but Southern Virginia proved too much, not giving an inch, claiming a 77-63 victory.

"That was a gritty win for us as a team," Head Coach Adam Wardenburg declared. "We challenged our guys to defend them, and I thought we did a great job sticking to our game plan."

Southern Virginia was led by its starters, with all five reaching double-digit scoring, with Malakai Olson at the forefront. The Junior scored a game-high 18 points while also registering a game-high 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Connolly added 15 points, with Koa baker and Shaun Kenedy each tallying 13. Robertson rounded out the scoring, recording 12 points on an efficient four-of-five shooting.

"I would say I was just locked in," said Olson. "As a team wanted that win, I felt that and was confident in us. What aided in my shooting was a complete focus on us winning this important game. We need to realize that the job's not finished. We will celebrate today and prepare tomorrow."

"Tonight was great," added Connolly, whose five 3-pointers set a new career-high. "The team was ready and willing to leave it all out there. Everyone was confident in my shooting, and I was just as confident in theirs. That's what it takes. We need to put this win aside and prepare for Thursday because the job is nowhere near finished for us."

"Offensively, we knew that we had an advantage inside, and we kept throwing the ball in repeatedly," stated coach Wardenburg. "Our aggressiveness showed on the free-throw line as well as we made twice as many free throws as they attempted."

The Knights have a quick turnaround, traveling to William Peace for the tournament semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 21.

"Overall, I was proud of how we overcame a really tough atmosphere and a really good Mary Baldwin team," concluded Wardenburg. "We need to continue to play connected as we take on a great William Peace team on Thursday in the semifinals."

For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's basketball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_hoops on Instagram.