The Maritime College men's basketball team couldn't pull out the win against St. Joseph's College (LI) in their "Set the Expectation" game at home on Tuesday night as they fell by a score of 82-67. The Privateers dedicated the game in support of the Set the Expectation organization after the founder, Brenda Tracy, gave a powerful speech to all student-athletes earlier this fall. To learn more about the Set the Expectation organization and their mission towards combating sexual and physical violence through education and direct engagement with coaches, young men, and boys in high school and collegiate athletic programs, CLICK HERE.

The game started out slow for both teams offensively, but the Privateers were able to take advantage of some mistakes by the Golden Eagles as they held a 10-5 lead with just over 14 minutes remaining. A few possessions later, Ryan Donovan (North Salem, N.Y./North Salem) knocked down a big three-point shot off an assist from Griffin McNally (Huntington Station, N.Y./Walt Whitman) to give Maritime its biggest lead of the half at 13-7.

St. Joseph's was able to battle back and knot the score at 15, but the Privateers remained resilient and continued to hold a slim lead. Unfortunately, Maritime struggled to connect on key shots in the winding minutes of the opening frame and the Golden Eagles took advantage as they slipped into the locker room with an eight-point advantage.

Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) responded early in the second half as he drained four threes in the first five minutes to bring the Privateers roaring back into the lead at 45-44. With a raucous crowd rallying behind them, Maritime continued to apply pressure offensively to St. Joseph's and thanks to five straight points from Brennan Whelan (Northport, N.Y./Northport), the Privateers took a 53-48 lead with just under 10 minutes left.

Once again, the momentum shifted as the Golden Eagles answered with some clutch threes of their own. Unfortunately, it was too late for Maritime to respond and St. Joseph's knocked down its free throws late to escape with a 82-67 win.

McGovern led all scorers with 25 points as he knocked down seven three-pointers. Whelan chipped in 12 points and a team-high six assists. Ronan Doherty (Danbury, Conn./Immaculate) tallied a team-high nine rebounds, while Chris Ruscillo (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place) finishing with a solid game in the frontcourt totaling seven boards, five assists, and five points. 

Maritime returns home this Thursday, Jan. 24 as they host the defending Skyline Conference champions, Yeshiva University.