THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College men's basketball team raced out to an 8-2 lead after just 90 seconds and had a nine-point advantage at halftime against Merchant Marine on Saturday afternoon.  The Mariners (8-13, 5-7 Skyline) got within three late in the second half, but the Privateers (13-8, 8-4 Skyline) held on for a 62-55 victory at Riesenberg Gymnasium.  With the win, Maritime clinched at least a .500 record for the second straight season.

After Merchant Marine scored the first basket of the game, Maritime quickly responded with three-pointers by Theo Noble (Bronx, NY) and Jovan Germain (Brooklyn, NY).  Germain then fed Noble for a layup off a steal, giving the Privateers an early six-point cushion.  The Mariners got within 8-6 before five straight Tyler Anderson (Smithtown, NY) points brought the margin back to seven, 13-6, at the 11:08 mark of the first half.  Germain's third trey of the half made it a nine-point game, 29-20, at intermission.

Maritime raced out to another hot start in the second half, extending its cushion to a game-high 13 points at 34-21 on Germain's fourth three-pointer of day.  The Mariners responded with a 19-9 run, however, to pull within three, 43-40, with 7:57 left.  Jake Murphy (Rockville Centre, NY) drained a three on the other end, though, to start an 11-3 rally that brought the margin back to 11 points, 54-43, with 5:14 remaining.

Merchant Marine once again countered, getting within four at 57-53 with 1:17 to go. A Murphy layup made it 61-53 before Noble hit a pair of free throws to give Maritime a three-possession lead.  Isaac Vencel sank a layup for the Mariners just before time expired to finish off the scoring in the Privateers' 62-55 victory, as Maritime avenged its loss to Merchant Marine at Kings Point earlier this season.

Germain finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Noble, meanwhile, had his second double-double of the season after tallying 10 points and 10 boards.  He also distributed three assists.  Anderson registered 15 points and three steals, while Murphy contributed 12 points and four steals.  Aleksandar Begovic (Kotor, Montenegro) secured eight rebounds for the Privateers, who shot a combined 35.7 percent (20-of-56) from the floor.  Maritime was 10-for-27 (37 percent) from long range and 12-for-19 (63.2 percent) at the free throw line.

Bryce Bristow and Drew Zalescik each recorded a double-double for the Mariners.  Bristow had 14 points and 12 rebounds, while also notching three steals and three blocks.  Zalescik added 14 points and 11 boards for Merchant Marine, which had a 40-38 edge on the glass.  Jake Hatch posted 10 points off the bench, and Vencel handed out four assists.  As a team, the Mariners shot 32.7 percent (17-of-52) from the floor, but were just 4-for-23 (17.4 percent) from three-point land.  Merchant Marine went 17-for-26 (65.4 percent) at the charity stripe.

On Wednesday, Maritime travels to St. Joseph's LI (10-11, 4-8 Skyline) for a 7 p.m. matchup.  The Privateers will secure their second straight Skyline Conference Tournament berth with a victory over the Golden Eagles, who they defeated 67-63 at Riesenberg Gymnasium on Jan. 10.