Box Score THROGS NECK, NY - Tied at 29 after the first half of play, the Bearcats outscored Maritime 36-31 in the final half to give the Privateers their first home loss of the season. The win moves Baruch to 9-2 overall on the season, while the Privateers fall to 4-3.
Leading the way for Maritime was Andre Cooper (Baltimore, Md./Southwestern) (Baltimore, MD) with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Senior Tim Dougherty (Fresh Meadows, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) (Fresh Meadows, NY/St. Francis Prep) was the only other Privateer in double figures, as he recorded a double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds. Baruch was led by Tammer Farid who had 17 points, while teammate George Kunkel had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.
The first half was a see-saw battle, with neither team taking more than a 5 point advantage. The game was tied 6 times, including the 29-29 halftime score. Dougherty had 11 of his points in the half, as the only player from either team to score double digit points in the first 20 minutes.
Despite scoring the first basket of the second half, the Privateers struggled for the first 10 minutes of play. Baruch took the lead with just over 18 minutes left, and held the lead until the 11 minute mark. During that period, the Bearcats went up by as much as seven, but Joe Bracaglia (Jamaica, NY/Martin Van Buren) hit a three pointer that sparked the Maritime offense. His two free throws tied the game for the eighth time, and both teams' defense took over.
After the 8th tie, there were only 4 points scored over the next two and a half minutes, two by each team. The Privateers then took the lead with 8:09 to play on a pair of free throws by Andre Cooper (Baltimore, Md./Southwestern). The Privateer's final lead of the game came with 6:17 to play, as Baruch took over defensively. A 5-0 run for the Bearcats gave them breathing room, and the Privateers did pull it to within 1 with 1:44 remaining, but the Bearcats sealed the game at the free throw line.
Maritime had a tough night shooting, hitting only 3-17 from behind the arc (17.6%) and 22-67 (32.8%) from the field. The Privateers did outrebound the Bearcats 43-39, but more impressively collected 18 offensive rebounds compared to only 9 by Baruch. However, the game was won by Baruch from the free throw line, as they went 18-28 compared to Maritime's 13-17.
Up next for the Privateers is conference foe Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale on January 6th. The game is scheduled for 8:00 PM.
