Box Score THROGGS NECK, NY - The SUNY Maritime men's basketball team went on the road to King's Point, the school's biggest rival, and won 71-69 in front of over 500 Mariner fans. The win put Maritime over the .500 mark at 3-2, while King's Point dropped to 0-4.
The first half was a back and forth battle between the two teams, with 5 ties and 3 lead changes. The Privateers led by as many as 4 on two separate occasions, and the Mariners held a 9 point advantage with 4:28 remaining. Tough defense held King's Point scoreless for the remainder of the half, taking a one point lead (30-29) into the locker room after Tim Dougherty (Fresh Meadows, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) (Fresh Meadows, NY/Francis Prep) sunk a three pointer with 5 seconds left on the clock from 3 feet behind the arc.
The second half proved to be all Maritime, as they never gave the lead back after the 17:37 mark. The lead ballooned to 11 with 4:40 on the clock after Jamal Webb (Tuckahoe, N.Y./Tuckahoe) (Tuckahoe, NY/Tuckahoe) scored his 14th point of the night. However, the Mariners battled back and pulled to within 1 with 1:30 to go but would get no closer. Jermelle Fraser (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) hit two crucial free throws with 13 seconds to go to give the Privateers a 4 point edge which proved to be the game winning points. A basket by the Mariners and a forced turnover gave the ball back to King's Point with 3 seconds remaining, but a last second three pointer traveled over the hoop, giving the Privateers their second win in 7 attempts (1st on the road) over King's Point.
Fraser led the Privateers with 17 points in 30 minutes off the bench. Webb followed with 15 point and 9 boards on 7-14 shooting. Giovanni Hurley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Middle College High) (Brooklyn, NY/Middle College) gave 9 points off the bench, while Rahshawn Pringle (Bronx, N.Y./Frederick Douglas) (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglas) had 8. As a team, the Privateers shot 50% from the field and 74% from the line. The defense held the Mariners to 40% shooting and 7-29 behind the arc.
"This was a great win for the team and the Maritime community", said Head Coach Jody King. "Both teams played hard and the game came down to the final second. I give lots of credit to King's Point; they didn't give up and they fought hard the entire game. Down the stretch we did what we had to do; make our free throws and play smart basketball. We came out with a great win".
The Privateers will look to go 3-0 this week as they play at Saint Joseph's on Saturday beginning at 4:30.
