THROGGS NECK, NY - The Maritime College men's basketball team came out to a very slow start against Skyline Conference foe St. Joseph's Long Island on Saturday afternoon, but the Privateers found their rhythm and came out on top with a 72-63 win.

The Golden Eagles came into the conference matchup 0-6 in Skyline play, but they dominated the first 12 minutes of action as they led Maritime by as much as 13 points at 23-10. After Griffin McNally (Huntington Station, N.Y./Walt Whitman) and Ryan Donovan (North Salem, N.Y./North Salem) scored back-to-back baskets in the paint to wake up the offense, the Privateers went on to score 11 unanswered points. The scoring run was capped off by a Brendan McGovern (Seaford, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) three-point shot in transition, which cut the lead to 23-21. Although the Golden Eagles responded and held onto the lead, a layup from Jaylin Gray (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth) with two seconds left made it a one-point game heading into the locker rooms.

Maritime kept the momentum on their side in the second half as Brennan Whelan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) nailed a three and Regan scored two baskets inside the paint to give the Privateers a quick four-point lead early in the half. Following a block from McNally, Whelan took off for a fastbreak layup to keep the lead at four points. A few plays later, Whelan found McGovern spotted up behind the arc to make it a 40-34 advantage with 15 minutes to go.

With just over 10 minutes left to play, Ryan Donovan (North Salem, N.Y./North Salem) picked up a steal and then drained a three at the other to make it a double-digit advantage at 49-39. On the ensuing offensive possession, Donovan got open once again behind the arc to make it a 13-point lead. The three's continued to drop for the Privateers as Regan and McGovern knocked down two more to maintain a strong lead at 15 points with eight minutes left. The offensive onslaught was enough for Maritime to withstand a hard-fought comeback attempt by the Golden Eagles, which cut the lead to five points with two minutes left. The Privateers held strong in the waning minutes and earned their second conference win of the season.

"It was a really good bounce-back game for us after a tough one on Wednesday," said head coach Mike Berkun. "We definitely can't afford to start that slow every game, but we turned it around and picked up our defensive intensity, which was good to see. We have a difficult seven-day stretch ahead of us with four more conference games, but I hope we go into them with the confidence I saw in the second half today."

McGovern led Maritime's offensive effort with 19 points on 4-8 shooting from behind the arc. Whelan, Donovan, and Regan all added double-digit performances as well with 14, 12, and 11, respectively. The trio also led the rebounding effort with six boards each, while Jaylin Gray (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth) dished out six assists.

The Privateers will look to keep the winning ways going as they travel to Mount Saint Vincent on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip-off.