A pair of free throws from Wyatt Smith with one second left propelled second-seeded Salisbury past fourth-seeded Christopher Newport 58-57 in the CAC Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday at Maggs Physical Activities Center in Salisbury, Md. 

The win is Salisbury's second CAC title in program history and first since the 1995-96 season. With the victory, the Sea Gulls (20-7) receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA bracket will be released on Monday.

Additionally, the Salisbury women's team also captured the title earlier today, marking just the second time in league history and first time since 1992 that the same institution has captured basketball crowns in the same year. Marymount was the other CAC member to complete the feat in the 1991-92 campaign. 

Trailing for much of the latter stages of the second half, Salisbury came through when it mattered most down the stretch to claim the one-point victory. Christopher Newport (20-8) seemed in control as the second half wore on, as the Captains maintained a slight advantage from about the 9-minute mark to the closing minutes. 

With CNU leading 57-51 with 1:45 remaining after a driving layup from Marcus Carter, the Sea Gulls outscored the visiting Captains 7-0 the rest of the way to grab the dramatic victory. Adrien Straughn drilled a critical corner three-pointer on Salisbury's next possession to pull the Sea Gulls within 57-54, and Straughn hit a driving layup with 47 ticks left to bring the Sea Gulls within one, 57-56. 

CNU attempted to burn some clock on its ensuing possession, and eventually settled for an off-balance three-point attempt with the shot clock winding down. Smith grabbed the rebound for SU, passed it to a teammate and raced down the floor, before receiving the ball in the lane and drawing a foul on a shot attempt with just one second left. After a CNU timeout, Smith sank both free throws to give the Sea Gulls the victory, 58-57.

Gordon Jeter led the Sea Gulls with 14 points and seven rebounds in the win, with Smith adding 12 points and eight boards. Straughn tallied 10 points off the bench in the win. 

The Captains also had a well-balanced attack with four players in double figures. Carter's 15 points paced CNU, while Tim Daly posted a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and Mike Cherry added 12 points.