BRONX, NY - The Maritime College men's basketball team picked up its second straight Skyline Conference victory on Tuesday night as they defeated Mount Saint Vincent 59-56. Similar to the Privateers victory last Saturday against St. Joseph's LI, they put together a strong second half performance to lead them to victory as they outscored the Dolphins 33-25 in the second period.

Both offenses started slow in the first half, but Maritime found their rhythm first and led by as much as 12 points at 18-6 with 10 minutes remaining. However, the Dolphins went on a 25-8 run to close out the first period and went to the locker rooms with a five-point lead.

Despite the big momentum shift at the end of the first period, Mike Regan (Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony's) got Maritime started right off the bat by knocking down a three on the first possession. A few plays later, Regan converted a layup and then another three to cut Mount Saint Vincent's lead to one point at 37-36 with 15 minutes left in the game. Griffin McNally (Huntington Station, N.Y./Walt Whitman) then gave Maritime their first lead since the first half before Regan hit his 11th point of the half in less than six minutes by hitting another three. 

The Dolphins quickly regained a slight lead, but after two free throws from Brennan Whelan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) tied the game at 44, a layup from Ryan Donovan (North Salem, N.Y./North Salem) and two more from Jaylin Gray (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth) gave the Privateers a six point lead with just under nine minutes to play. Mount Saint Vincent still wasn't going away though as they fought back to tie the game at 50 with seven minutes left.

After two more free throws from Whelan moved the game to 52-50 in favor of Maritime, it was Gray's turn to take over the game as he dropped seven consecutive points, including a three-point shot to give the Privateers a 59-50 advantage with three minutes left. The big run from Gray was enough to give Maritime the win as they held on for a 59-56 victory.

The big second half play from Gray and Regan was complimented by an 11-point, first half performance from Chris Ruscillo (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place), who finished 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from behind the arc. All three players led the offensive effort with 11 points. McNally chipped in 10 rebounds, while Whelan added nine of his own and seven assists.

Maritime currently sits at 7-10 overall and 3-5 in conference action. The Privateers head to St. Joseph's Brooklyn on Thursday at 7 p.m. for another tough Skyline Conference matchup.