OLD WESTBURY, NY – The Maritime College men's basketball team trailed at halftime in its Skyline Conference opener at Old Westbury on Wednesday night.  The Privateers (6-1, 1-0 Skyline) then held the Panthers (0-7, 0-1 Skyline) to just 20 percent (5-of-25) shooting in the second half, outscoring Old Westbury 35-17 over the final 20 minutes to earn a 62-47 victory at the Clark Athletic Center.

Old Westbury scored the first four points of the game before Maritime responded with a 7-0 spurt.  The Privateers held a 12-10 advantage midway through the opening half when Jamari Williams hit a trey to start a 14-4 Old Westbury run that gave the Panthers a 24-16 lead.  Maritime trailed by three, 30-27, at the break.

A three-pointer by Theo Noble (Bronx, NY) tied the game early in the second half, and the Privateers went in front, 35-32, on a Noble layup and foul shot at the 16:19 mark. After an Amadou Kouyate (Harlem, NY) layup gave Maritime a five-point lead, 40-35, Old Westbury got back-to-back treys from Elijah Canady and Aiddan Smith to go back in front, 41-40.

Those would prove to be Old Westbury's final two field goals of the game, as Maritime held the Panthers to just six free throws over the last 10:29.  The Privateers regained the lead on an Evan Block (Seaford, NY) layup, and the margin reached nine points on Kouyate's layup that made it 53-44 with 5:17 remaining.  Maritime ended the game on a 22-6 spurt, including the final nine points, to notch a 62-47 win and continue the best start in program history.

Noble recorded his first career double-double in the contest, finishing with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.  Kouyate notched 12 points, six boards and three assists off the bench, while Block and Jovan Germain (Brooklyn, NY) each tallied 12 points.  Aleksandar Begovic (Kotor, Montenegro), meanwhile, pulled down eight rebounds to go along with three steals.  As a team, Maritime shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the field, 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from three-point land, and 63.6 percent (14-of-22) at the charity stripe.

For Old Westbury, Amadi Lee-Kane led the way with 14 points, and he added six rebounds.  Williams posted 11 points and six boards, while Canady contributed 10 points and three assists.  Jordan Johnson-Rader notched seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks for the Panthers, who shot 30.2 percent (16-of-53) from the floor overall.  Old Westbury went 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) from long range and 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) at the free throw line.

After playing five of their last six away from home, the Privateers return to Riesenberg Gymnasium for each of their next two games.  Maritime hosts Manhattanville (6-2, 1-0 Skyline), last season's Skyline Tournament finalist, at 1 p.m. on Saturday.