BROOKLYN, NY – The Maritime College men's basketball team played its first game in 629 days on Saturday afternoon.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a triumphant return to the court, as the Privateers (0-1) fell to Medgar Evers (1-2) by a 77-67 count at the Cougars Cave.

Maritime jumped out to an early lead, going up 13-7 on a trey by Nick Ovanessian (Bayside, NY) barely five minutes into the contest.  Medgar Evers responded with a 10-0 run to pull in front 17-13 before the Privateers regained the lead, 22-20, on a Mike Regan (Dix Hills, NY) layup at the 7:42 mark.  Neither side would hold an advantage of more than three points the rest of the half, and the Cougars went into the break with a 34-31 cushion.

Medgar Evers began the second half with a three-pointer before the Privateers got layups from Griffin McNally (Huntington Station, NY), Jaylin Gray (Brooklyn, NY) and Regan to level the score at 37-37 with 17:48 remaining.  After Maritime regained the lead, 45-43, with 14:08 to go, the Cougars went on a 13-3 spurt to take an eight-point advantage, 56-48.  The Privateers cut their deficit to four at 58-54 with 8:08 left, but would pull no closer, as Medgar Evers scored the next six points to make it a 10-point game, 64-54.  That would prove to be the final margin in the Cougars' 77-67 victory.

Ryan Donovan (North Salem, NY) led Maritime with 14 points, and he added five assists.  Gray finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Ovanessian just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 boards.  As a team, the Privateers shot 37.5 percent (27-of-72) from the field, 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from long range, and 44.4 percent (8-of-18) at the free throw line.

For Medgar Evers, Andre Evans, Jr., tallied a game-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Keison McIntosh also had 20 points, and Mousa Sinera recorded a double-double with 12 points and 16 boards.  The Cougars shot 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the floor, 25 percent (8-of-32) from three-point land, and 70.8 percent (17-of-24) at the charity stripe.

On Wednesday, the Privateers open their home schedule by welcoming John Jay (0-3) to Riesenberg Gymnasium at 7 p.m.  It will mark the start of a span where Maritime plays six out of eight at home.