THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College men's basketball team entered Saturday's regular season finale knowing that it would clinch the No. 4 seed and a first-round home game in the Skyline Conference Tournament with a victory.  The Privateers (15-10, 11-5 Skyline) led by as many as 18 points before holding off Old Westbury's second-half rally to notch an 88-84 victory over the Panthers (10-14, 5-11 Skyline) at Riesenberg Gymnasium.

Graduating seniors Amadou Kouyate (Harlem, NY), Jake Murphy (Rockville Centre, NY) and Theo Noble (Bronx, NY) were honored prior to the contest, then combined to score 56 points in the game.  Murphy finished with 24 points and five assists, while Noble had 21 points and five rebounds.  Kouyate, meanwhile, tallied 11 points, eight boards and six assists.

After Old Westbury scored the first basket, Murphy drained a trey before Kouyate added a layup and two free throws to make it 7-2.  Maritime opened up a 20-13 cushion with 13:16 left until halftime, but the Panthers followed with back-to-back three-pointers to get within one, 20-19.  Noble sank a triple at the 10:04 mark, though, starting a 25-11 run that gave the Privateers a 45-30 edge.  The margin was 11 points, 46-35, at the break.

Maritime began the second half with seven straight points, extending its advantage to 53-35.  However, Old Westbury responded with a 10-2 spurt to cut its deficit to 55-45.  It was a 64-51 game when the Panthers went on a 17-6 run that pulled them within two, 70-68.  Murphy hit a layup on the other end that ignited an 8-1 Privateers rally and brought the margin back to nine points, 78-69, with 3:12 left.

Old Westbury rattled off the next eight points to make it 78-77 with 1:29 remaining, then, after Murphy missed a trey, Kouyate grabbed the rebound and Evan Block (Seaford, NY) capped the possession with a three-pointer.  With the Panthers forced to foul to stop the clock, Maritime sank seven consecutive free throws down the stretch.  Noble drained a pair at the line with less than a second remaining to cap the 88-84 triumph.

Tyler Anderson (Smithtown, NY) contributed nine points and three assists, while Block and Jake Devaney (Washingtonville, NY) added seven points apiece.  As a team, the Privateers shot 46 percent (29-of-63) from the field, 37.9 percent (11-of-29) from long range, and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) at the charity stripe.

For Old Westbury, Zion Williams tallied 34 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench.  Amadi Lee-Kane posted 23 points and six boards, and Joel Ofori secured a game-high nine rebounds.  The Panthers were 29-for-56 (51.8 percent) from the floor, 8-for-21 (38.1 percent) from downtown, and 18-for-26 (69.2 percent) at the free throw line.

On Tuesday night, the Privateers will host a Skyline Tournament game for the third consecutive year.  Maritime will welcome fifth-seeded St. Joseph's LI (11-14, 10-6 Skyline) to Riesenberg Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. matchup.  The teams split two meetings this season, with the visiting squad winning each time.