After suffering a tough season-opening loss to Manhattanville College Thursday night, the Maritime College men's basketball team bounced back less than 48 hours later with a 91-84 win against the City College of New York in their home opener.

The Privateers were hot from the arc early on as Chris Ruscillo (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) and Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) both drained shots from long distance within the first three minutes to help Maritime take a quick 8-6 advantage. The early lead proved to be a vital momentum shift as the Privateers never relinquished the lead for the final 37 minutes of the game.

A few minutes later, Maritime took a commanding 21-12 lead after three more three-pointers, this time it was Mike Regan (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony's), Ryan Donovan (North Salem, N.Y./North Salem), and Ruscillo who found the bottom of the net. The Privateers continued to fire on all cylinders offensively as they took their biggest lead of the first half at 34-20 with just under six minutes remaining. 

However, the Beavers weren't going to back down and started to push the tempo. Just over two minutes later, CCNY capped off an 10-0 run and the lead was cut to four points with 3:45 left in the opening frame. McGovern wouldn't let the momentum shift any further though and drained another three to stop the run.

Unfortunately, CCNY found a way to score as time expired to keep the score close at 46-40 going into the locker room.

Michael Walker (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) answered the call to start the second half and netted the first seven points for the Privateers to help them re-take a double-digit lead. Foul trouble forced him out of the game though and Maritime had to look elsewhere to keep the momentum going. McGovern stepped up yet again when the team needed him as he scored seven straight of his own to help maintain the lead. 

The Beavers cut the lead to just one score for the first time since the beginning of the game with 10 minutes remaining in the half. As CCNY looked to tie the game and take control, McGovern stayed hot and buried a deep three to keep the momentum on Maritime's side. The 64-62 advantage was the closest the game would get as the Privateers buckled down defensively and came up with the timely stops they needed to close out the game. 

Regan iced the game for Maritime with 1:52 remaining as he drained a kick-out three-pointer from Brennan Whelan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) to make it 85-78. The clutch shot clearly sucked the air out of the Beavers as they began to rush on offense and force up bad shots. Maritime boasts a young roster, but they handled the end of the game like veterans as they played smart and made their free throws to put it away.

McGovern netted a new career high, 31 points, to lead the Privateers to their first win of the 2018-19 season. The junior guard finished 11-22 from the field and 6-12 from behind the arc. Whelan, Walker, and Regan all finished in double digits with 16, 13, and 12 points, respectively. 

Maritime finished 13-29 from three-point range and 16-21 from the charity stripe, while CCNY converted on only three shots from behind the arc.

The Privateers get on the court at Reisenberg Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 13 when they take on Hunter College at 7 p.m.