MBB Falls at Maritime Despite Late Push

THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime College men's basketball team returned to the court on Sunday afternoon and notched its third win of the young season with a 93-85 victory over Mitchell College.

All five starters for the Privateers had double figures in points with John Liccese leading the way with 21 points. Patrick MacDonald finished with 19 points while Isaiah Hayes added 17, and Tim Hoch pithed in with 15 while Tim McQuail netted 12. 

Domenico Santiago paced the Mariners with a career-high 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting and fell one rebound shy of a double-double. Brayvon Young contributed 17 points while Alan Morgan chipped in with 12 points and seven assists.

After a slow start, Hoch got the scoring started just 60 seconds in the game. Mitchell held a 6-5 lead before Hayes connected on a layup to put the Privateers ahead. After another bucket by the Mariners, Liccese stepped back for the first of his five three-point baskets on the game. The score remained close and was tied at 16 with 12:04 left in the opening period. 

Hayes got the Privateers ahead again with a layup off of a steal, then Liccese added a free throw to give Maritime a three-point lead. The lead swelled to six, but Mitchell continued to keep the game within two possessions. Young scored 11 of his 17 points in the opening half to keep the Mariners close.

With 2:25 left in the half, Hoch drained a three-pointer off a pass from Liccese to give the Privateers a 41-33 advantage. MacDonald made it a 10-point lead with a pair of free throws with 85 seconds left in the half. Mitchell trimmed the lead to four, but Liccese knocked down a three-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Privateers a 46-39 lead heading into the halftime break. 

In the second half, Liccese connected on a three to put the Privateers ahead by 10, then added another three-pointer to give Maritime a 52-39 lead with 18:07 left in regulation. The lead continued to grow as Hayes connected on a layup to make it a 15-point lead. McQuail made it an 18-point advantage with a three-pointer, followed by a layup from MacDonald to make it 61-41. 

A 14-2 run by the Mariners made the game close again as the score was sliced to 67-60 in favor of the Privateers. Santiago, Young and Justin Gordneer-Morant each supplied a pair of buckets during the stretch to help trim the deficit back to single digits.  

Maritime stopped the bleeding with a Liccese layup, followed by a MacDonald jumper to put the Privateers ahead by double figures once again. However, the Mariners later responded with nine unanswered points to pull within four at 82-78, capping the spurt with a three-pointer by Christopher Ames with 4:25 to go in the game. 

Maritime still led by four with 1:15 to go in the game, and Hayes converted on a layup followed by a key three-pointer by Hoch to give the hosts breathing room in the closing minute. Liccese knocked down a free throw to make it a 10-point game with 28 seconds left. Mitchell scored the next four points, but MacDonald iced the game with just seconds remaining to seal the win for the Privateers. 

Mitchell (0-2 overall) will return home on Wednesday, November 30 for a 6 p.m. start against local rival Coast Guard Academy.