Junior Wyatt Smith poured in a career-high 37 points to lift the Salisbury men's basketball team past Eastern Connecticut State 66-54 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening in Hartford, Conn. 

With the win, the Sea Gulls (21-7) advance to Saturday's second round and will meet Trinity (Conn.) at 7 p.m. on the Bantams home court. Trinity defeated Colby-Sawyer 60-55 in Friday's nightcap. 

Smith took charge for the Sea Gulls in the first half, tallying 20 points before the intermission to give Salisbury a 31-20 halftime edge. 

Eastern Connecticut got as close as three twice in the second half. The Warriors pulled within three with 3:25 remaining, but Gordon Jeter answered with a layup and a baseline turn-around jumper on the right side, before Smith threw down a two-handed dunk to again push the lead back to nine, 61-52, with just over one minute remaining in the game.

The Sea Gulls hit five free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.

Post play proved crucial for the Salisbury effort, as Smith shot 16-for-20 from the field in his team-leading effort, while Jeter chipped in with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Smith also led the team with nine rebounds, while senior Conor Strickland dished out a team-best six assists.