Box Score THROGS NECK, NY - On the night that Tim Dougherty (Fresh Meadows, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) (Fresh Meadows, NY/St. Francis Prep) was formally recognized for his 1,000th career point, he went out and shot 13-15 from the field to finish with 29 points, on top of pulling down 11 boards. His effort helped the Privateers to a 90-88 conference victory over Purchase, a game that both teams entered with an identical 7-5 conference record. The win gives Maritime sole possession of 4th place in the conference (11-8, 8-5) while the Panthers dropped into 5th place at 11-8 (7-6).
The opening half was a see-saw battle between the two teams, with Purchase taking an early 6 point lead that was almost immediately given back because of the Privateer's offensive efforts. The Panthers led by as much as 7 points with under ten minutes to play, but the Privateers clawed back to regain the lead at the 3:49 mark. Purchase did not take another lead for the rest of the game. Maritime pushed the lead to 5 in the closing minutes of the half, before entering the locker room with a 43-39 edge.
The Privateers took immediate control in the second half, pushing the lead up to 14 in the first five minutes. Seemingly with the game in hand, the Privateers traded baskets with the Panthers over the next few minutes. At the 6 minute mark, Purchase cut the lead to 8 and that began the Panther rally. They would bring the game down to 4, only to see Maritime push it back to 9. But an 8-1 run put Purchase back within 2 points with only 39 seconds to play. Quamel Lyerly (Inwood, N.Y./Lawrence) (Lawrence, NY/Lawrence) hit two key free throws with 13 seconds to play to give Maritime a 4 point edge. Purchase brought the ball down the court and Tyriq Harrington hit a three pointer to bring it to 89-88 with 10 seconds to go. Forced to foul, Purchase put Kevin Josey (Staten Island, N.Y./Monroe Webster) (Staten Island, NY/Monroe Webster) on the line. Josey connected on the front end, but missed the back, giving Purchase one chance to tie or win the game with a 3. Jerrell Lewis ran the ball down and took a contested three pointer that hit the back iron and came off, giving Maritime the 90-88 win.
Dougherty led the Privateers with 29 points, followed by Andre Cooper (Baltimore, Md./Southwestern) (Baltimore, MD) off the bench with 19 on 7-10 shooting. Giovanni Hurley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Middle College High) (Brooklyn, NY/Middle College) added 14 and Lyerly had 10.
For the Panthers, Marvin Billups led with 33 points, followed closely by Lewis with 30. Corey Orgias was the only other Panther in double digits with 10.
The Privateers stay at home for Saturday's conference contest against Yeshiva. The game is scheduled to start at 8:30PM.
