THROGGS NECK, NY – In arguably its best overall performance of the season, the Maritime College men's basketball team (12-9, 8-4 Skyline) posted an impressive 66-50 victory over Manhattanville (15-6, 8-4 Skyline) at Riesenberg Gymnasium on Saturday.  The win was Maritime's third straight and moved the Privateers into a tie with the Valiants for second place in the Skyline Conference North Division.

It was a 5-5 game when Ryan Donovan (North Salem, NY) drained a trey to start a 15-0 run that gave Maritime a 20-5 lead.  Manhattanville responded with nine of the next 11 points to get back within eight, 22-14, with 7:14 remaining in the first half.  At the 6:28 mark, Tyler Anderson (Smithtown, NY) was fouled on a three-pointer and drained all three free throws to spark another 9-0 rally that put the Privateers up 31-14.  The margin was 16 points, 38-22, at halftime.

Manhattanville got off to a quick start in the second half, scoring the first seven points before Evan Block (Seaford, NY) hit a trey for Maritime.  After the Valiants trimmed their deficit to eight, 41-33, the Privateers used a 13-4 spurt to open up a 54-37 advantage with 8:47 to go.  Manhattanville got back within 10 at 54-44 before Maritime went on a 9-0 run to take its largest lead of the game, 63-44, with 4:28 remaining.  The Privateers won by a 66-50 count, snapping their five-game losing streak against the Valiants and remaining unbeaten at home in conference play.

Donovan and Anderson finished with 14 points apiece. Donovan also had four rebounds and three assists, while Anderson recorded three steals.  Jovan Germain (Brooklyn, NY) contributed 10 points, six boards and two assists off the bench, and James O'Connell (East Williston, NY) distributed three assists to go along with three steals.  Aleksandar Begovic (Kotor, Montenegro) grabbed a team-best nine rebounds, as Maritime held a 34-33 edge on the glass.  As a team, the Privateers shot 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field, 40 percent (8-of-20) from long range, and 75 percent (12-of-16) at the free throw line.

For the Valiants, Tommy Lotito led the way with 16 points (all in the second half).  He added seven rebounds and three steals.  Jake Dunn tallied eight points, while Ryan Giordano and Matt Bielenda secured six boards apiece.  Jackson Leech handed out a team-high three assists for Manhattanville, which shot 36.4 percent (20-of-55) from the floor.  The Valiants were just 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) from three-point land and 7-for-9 (77.8 percent) at the charity stripe.

Three of the Privateers' final four regular season games are on the road, starting with a 7 p.m. matchup at division-leading Merchant Marine (11-10, 9-3 Skyline) on Wednesday.  Maritime earned a 58-54 victory when the squads met at Riesenberg Gymnasium on Dec. 10.