THROGGS NECK, NY – On the day he and the other four members of the Maritime College men's basketball team were honored, Jaylin Gray (Brooklyn, NY) recorded his 1,000^th career point on Saturday afternoon.  Gray finished with a game-high 23 points in the contest, but it wasn't enough to lead the Privateers (3-18, 0-14 Skyline) to victory, as Merchant Marine (13-8, 10-4 Skyline) held on for a 62-60 win at Riesenberg Gymnasium.

All five Maritime seniors—Gray, Alec Downes (Seaford, NY), Griffin McNally (Huntington Station, NY), Nick Ovanessian (Bayside, NY) and Mike Regan (Dix Hills, NY)—also got the start in their final home game as Privateers.

It was a back-and-forth contest that featured 12 ties and 14 lead changes, and neither side led by more than seven points all afternoon.  And that advantage came 3:41 into the game when Merchant Marine went up 12-5.  Gray responded with a three-pointer, though, to start an 8-1 Maritime run that knotted the score at 13-13 with 12:01 left in the first half. 

After Merchant Marine regained a five-point cushion at 23-18, the Privateers scored six straight points to pull in front, 24-23.  The Mariners held a 29-27 edge at the break, but Gray sank a three-pointer on Maritime's opening possession of the second half.

The back-and-forth play continued in the second half, as Merchant Marine built a 39-34 cushion before the Privateers tied it at 42-42.  With the score knotted at 48-48, the Mariners went on a 7-0 run to equal their largest lead of the game, a 55-48 advantage with 5:25 remaining.  Gray hit a layup on Maritime's next possession, though, starting an 8-1 run that leveled the score once again at 56-56 with 2:58 left.

Gray's 1,000^th point came on a layup with 39 seconds to go that put the Privateers up two, 58-56.  However, on the ensuing Merchant Marine possession, Isaac Vencel was fouled on a layup and made the free throw to put the Mariners back in front, 59-58.  After the teams traded a pair of foul shots, Josh Kauffman went 1-for-2 at the line to make it 62-60 Merchant Marine with just under three seconds remaining.  Gray got a decent look from half-court, but his potential game-winning shot at the buzzer was off the mark and the Mariners held on for the victory.

With his 23 points, Gray now has 1,002 in his collegiate career, including 536 at Maritime. He also handed out five assists.  Ryan Donovan (New Carmel, NY), meanwhile, notched his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Theo Noble (Bronx, NY), Robbie Mitchell (Richmond, NY) and Regan contributed six points apiece to cap the scoring for the Privateers.  Sean Flynn (Flushing, NY) recorded seven rebounds to go along with a pair of blocks.  As a team, Maritime shot 37 percent (20-of-54) from the field, 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from long range, and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) at the free throw line.

Vencel led Merchant Marine with 16 points, and he added three assists.  Bryce Bristow tallied 13 points and eight rebounds, while Kody Robinson posted 11 points.  Blaine McDonough grabbed a team-best nine boards for the Mariners, who held a 38-36 advantage on the glass.   Merchant Marine went 19-for-55 (34.5 percent) from the field to go along with 41.2 percent (7-of-17) shooting from downtown and 68 percent (17-of-25) at the charity stripe.

Maritime concludes the season with two road games.  The Privateers visit Purchase (5-16, 5-9 Skyline) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.