THROGGS NECK, NY – It took 45 minutes to decide things between the Maritime College men's basketball team and St. Joseph's LI on Tuesday night.  Down by two with 2.3 seconds left, the Privateers had the ball and a chance to win or tie.  However, Maritime (13-9, 9-4 Skyline) was unable to get a shot off and the Golden Eagles (10-12, 9-4 Skyline) came away with a 66-64 overtime win at Riesenberg Gymnasium.

St. Joseph's LI had a 55-54 lead when Theo Noble (Bronx, NY) drained a three-pointer with 41 seconds remaining in regulation.  Noble then hit a free throw at the 23-second mark to put the Privateers ahead 58-55.  After Matthew Coletti's trey tied the game for the Golden Eagles, Jake Murphy's (Rockville Centre, NY) shot at the buzzer was off the mark and the contest went to overtime even at 58-58.

In the extra session, Murphy sank a three to put the Privateers in front 64-61 with 3:07 left.  St. Joseph's LI took the lead on buckets by AJ Esposito and Alec Tabada before Justin Turner missed a trey and Jake Devaney (Washingtonville, NY) grabbed the rebound with 34 seconds to go.  The Privateers committed a shot clock violation on the other end, though, and were forced to foul after the turnover.  Turner made the first free throw and missed the second, which Evan Block (Seaford, NY) corralled for Maritime with 2.3 seconds remaining.  The ensuing inbound pass was stolen, however, securing the victory for the Golden Eagles.

Block had a double-double for the Privateers, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  He also tallied five assists and three steals.  Noble registered a team-high 19 points, while Murphy posted 16 points and four assists.  Devaney contributed nine points, seven boards, three assists and two steals, and Jesse Tricario (New Hyde Park, NY) pulled down a career-best 10 rebounds.  As a team, Maritime shot 32.8 percent (22-of-67) from the floor, 25.9 percent (7-of-27) from long range, and 68.4 percent (13-of-19) at the charity stripe.

There were four ties and nine lead changes in the contest, as neither side had an advantage of more than six points the entire game.  The Privateers built a 12-7 cushion at the 12:12 mark of the first half before St. Joseph's LI scored five straight points to force a 12-12 deadlock.  Maritime regained a four-point edge at 20-16, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 12-4 spurt to go ahead 28-24.  After the Privateers regained the lead, 29-28, St. Joseph's LI ended the first half on a 5-1 rally to take a 33-30 advantage into the locker room.

The Golden Eagles still held a three-point edge, 38-35, when a Murphy jumper started an 8-1 Maritime run that put the Privateers in front 43-39.  A Noble three-point play extended the cushion to 52-46, the largest advantage for either side all night, with 4:18 left in the second half, but St. Joseph's LI responded with nine of the next 11 points to retake the lead, 55-54, at the 1:04 mark.

Esposito recorded a double-double off the bench for the Golden Eagles.  He recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four blocks and three assists.  Tabada notched 14 points and Matthew Maxwell handed out four assists.  Anthony Todd and Spencer Malloy grabbed seven boards apiece, as St. Joseph's LI had a 47-40 edge on the glass.  The Golden Eagles shot a combined 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the field, 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from downtown, and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) at the free throw line.

On Saturday, the Privateers visit Merchant Marine (8-14, 4-9 Skyline) at 1 p.m. in their final road game of the regular season.  Maritime posted a 69-57 victory over the Mariners at Riesenberg Gymnasium on Jan. 8.