RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Maritime Basketball needed overtime on Tuesday evening, but the Privateers emerged victorious by knocking off the Mount St. Vincent Dolphins by the score of 79-77 from the Peter J. Sharp Center.
 
Sophomore John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) led the Privateers with 20 points on the night, while junior Tim Hoch (Coventry, R.I./Fishers Island (N.Y.)) was second on the team as he tied his career high with 16 points.
 
Sophomore Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) collected a team-best 13 rebounds as he collected yet another double-double with 14 points. Junior Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) also collected 10 points, and added a team-best five assists.
 
Maritime erased a 17-point deficit and took its first lead of the second half with 56 seconds to go as Liccese knocked down a three-point basket to take a 69-67 lead. The Privateers took a three-point lead, but Mount St. Vincent evened it at 70 with a three-point basket to send the game to overtime.
 
In the extra session, Maritime outscored the Dolphins by a 9-7 margin as Hoch scored five and MacDonald added four including the go-ahead layup to make the score 78-77 with 1:43 to go in the overtime period.
 
The night got off to an ice-cold start for both squads, as over two minutes went by before the first basket was made by Mount St. Vincent. Hoch collected a three-pointer with 16:56 remaining to give Maritime its first lead of the game at 3-2. The Dolphins then went on an eight-point run to take a 10-3 advantage.
 
Play continued into the latter portion of the half, with Mount St. Vincent leading 19-9, but MacDonald sank a pair from the line to make the score 19-11. After another scoring drought for both sides, Liccese converted on a layup, followed by a Hoch free throw to make the score 19-14 with 7:02 left in the half.
 
Sophomore Akil Spruill (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) followed a 6-3 run in favor of the Dolphins with a layup off a pass from junior Isaiah Hayes (Jamaica, N.Y./Queens Teaching). Freshman Michael Walker (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) then stepped back for a three-pointer to trim the Dolphin lead to three at 25-22 with 3:18 left in the period.
 
The three-pointer spurred a long-range shot fest, as Mount St. Vincent connected on back-to-back threes, followed by Halligan converting to make it 31-25. Spruill made a layup, which was answered by another pair of three-point baskets by the Dolphins to send Mount St. Vincent into the locker room ahead by a 37-27 score.
 
In the second half, Mount St. Vincent continued its hot shooting from beyond the arc with back-to-back threes to start the period as the Dolphins took a 43-27 advantage. The drought for the Privateers came to an end with a MacDonald layup on the next possession. Both teams exchanged a series of baskets, with Mount St. Vincent increasing its lead to 17 at 48-31.
 
Walker got Maritime back on track with a free throw, followed by a Hayes steal and a layup from Liccese, with the ensuing and-one free throw. Walker then made a pair from the stripe followed by a Hoch layup to pull the Privateers back within nine at 48-39.
 
Down by 12, Walker answered for the Privateers with two more from the stripe to make it a 10-point lead once again, followed by a pair at the line from Liccese to make it 51-43 with 11:01 left in the game.
 
Mount St. Vincent scored the next seven points, with Spruill putting an end to the rally with a layup. Liccese sank a layup, but once again Mount St. Vincent knocked down a three-pointer to move ahead 61-47. Walker and Hayes knocked down single free throws, followed by one point by the Dolphins, then MacDonald made two more from the stripe to make it 62-51.
 
The Privateers rallied once again after MacDonald's free throws as Hayes rolled in a layup, followed by a layup by Liccese. Mount St. Vincent scored the next three points, as Hoch then followed with a layup. Liccese converted on another two from the stripe as the Privateers closed the gap to six at 65-59 with 4:06 to go.
 
After a layup from the Dolphins, Halligan responded with a layup of his own to spur the Privateers once again. Hayes knocked down a layup, and then pulled down a defensive board as Mount St. Vincent was attacking. Liccese found Halligan for three as Maritime fought back to trim the hole to one with 1:42 to go.
 
Maritime then took the lead for the first time since its 3-2 lead, as Liccese knocked down a three-point hoop with 56 seconds left to put Maritime ahead 69-67. Walker made a free throw, to give Maritime a 70-67 lead, but Mount St. Vincent connected on a three-pointer to tie the game at 70 with 17 seconds left.
 
Liccese's last-second effort would not fall, as Maritime and Mount St. Vincent were headed to an extra session tied at 70.
 
In the extra session, both teams missed three-pointers to start off the five-minute stanza, but it was Mount St. Vincent to score first with a layup with an and-one free throw. Hoch made a layup, and Liccese pulled down a defensive board, which led to a MacDonald layup to put Maritime ahead by one at 74-73 with 2:50 to go.
 
After a foul by the Dolphins, Hoch connected on a pair of free throws to put Maritime up by three. Mount St. Vincent scored the next four points on a free throw, layup and another free throw to regain the advantage.
 
On the next possession, MacDonald made a layup, followed by a series of misses. Maritime got the ball back but was unable to put the game away. Mount St. Vincent missed a chance, but Hoch was able to collect a steal with nine seconds left. Hoch sank the second free throw to give Maritime a two-point lead.
 
Mount St. Vincent's last chance effort would not fall, as the Privateers had stormed all the way back from down by 17 points to pick up the 79-77 victory.
 
Maritime (4-13, 4-8 Skyline) will look for its third consecutive victory on Thursday evening when the team meets the Yeshiva Maccabees for the first time this season at 8 p.m.
 
Mount St. Vincent (8-10, 7-6 Skyline) will look to get back in the win column on Monday evening when the team travels to St. Joseph's (Bklyn) for a 7 p.m. start at the Hill Center.