The Maritime College men's basketball team opened up its season on the road at Manhattanville College Thursday night. The young Privateers team battled hard, but struggled early on and couldn't find the momentum to mount a comeback and fell 110-73.
 
Maritime lost three of its top four scorers from last season, but has plenty of young talent on the team ready to fill the scoring gaps. Unfortunately, the Privateers struggled to find their rhythm early on and went down 19-2 early in the game. The Valiants opened up with strong pressure defensively and forced a physical style of play. After settling into the game, Maritime started to show spurts of what they are capable of, but they were unable to put together the big run they needed to get back into the game.
 
The slow start was the difference maker in the opening half as Maritime was only outscored by seven points in the final 14 minutes.
 
Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) and Brennan Whelan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) both played solid minutes tallying nine and eight points in the first half, respectively. The Privateers were also making the most out of their opportunities at the free throw line by finishing the opening frame 14-16 from the charity stripe.
 
The physical style of play continued in the second half and hampered Maritime's ability to close the gap. The Privateers reached 10 fouls within the first four minutes of half and the Valiants took advantage by shooting 29 total free throws in the second half alone.
 
Freshman guard Ryan Donovan (North Salem, N.Y./North Salem) started to find success midway through the second half as he scored seven straight points for the Privateers during a one and a half minute stretch. Donovan finished the game with 12 points, all scored in the second half.
 
The game finished with 67 fouls called and 85 free throws taken between the two teams. Unfortunately, the physical gameplay favored Manhattanville as they were able to hold the early lead for the entire game.
 
McGovern, Donovan, and Whelan all finished in double digits with 13, 12, and 10 points, respectively. Jermaine Brathwaite (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) also played a solid game finishing 3-4 from the field with eight points. Donovan also led the team in rebounding with five total.
 
The Privateers return to action this Saturday, Nov. 10 at 1:00 p.m. in their home opener against the City College of New York.