THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College men's basketball team hosted a Skyline Conference Tournament quarterfinal game for the fourth consecutive year on Wednesday night. The fourth-seeded Privateers (13-13) saw their season come to an end, however, as fifth-seeded Purchase (12-14) earned an 89-65 victory at Riesenberg Gymnasium.
Maritime sank its first three shots, a
Jesse Tricario (New Hyde Park, NY) layup and back-to-back treys by
Zion Williams (Indianapolis, IN) and
Tyler Anderson (Smithtown, NY), to build an early 8-4 cushion. However, the Panthers responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead, 13-8. After the Privateers tied it on an
Evan Block (Seaford, NY) three and
Jake Devaney (Washingtonville, NY) layup, Purchase rattled off the next seven points to go back in front for good. The Panthers shot a scorching 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from three-point land in the opening 20 minutes en route to a 48-33 halftime advantage.
Purchase extended the margin to a game-high 28 points at 63-35 with 14:50 remaining in the contest. Maritime trimmed its deficit to 20 when Block sank a trey to make it 79-59 with 4:50 left, but would get no closer the rest of the way. The Panthers advanced to face top-seeded Yeshiva in the semifinals with an 89-65 triumph.
Devaney led the Privateers with 16 points and seven rebounds. He also dished out three assists. Tricario
added 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting to go along with six boards. Anderson
finished with 13 points and five assists in his final game for Maritime, while Block
ended his Privateers career with eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Williams
distributed four assists for Maritime, which shot a combined 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field. The Privateers were 6-for-25 (24 percent) from long range and 9-for-14 (64.3 percent) at the charity stripe.
Five Purchase players scored in double figures, with Maurice Western posting a game-high 23 points. He added five assists and three steals. Desmond Ward had 19 points and eight rebounds, while Trey Skeete tallied 18 points, nine boards and five assists. Chirs Hunter contributed 11 points, five assists and three steals, and Nate Maldonado chipped in nine points off the bench. In addition to securing eight rebounds, Sean Holtzman notched three assists and four steals. As a team, the Panthers shot 50 percent (36-of-72) from the floor, 44.8 percent (13-of-29) from downtown, and 66.7 percent (4-of-6) at the free throw line.
This marked the first time in program history that Maritime had a home game in the Skyline Tournament four years in a row. The Privateers previously hosted the Skyline quarterfinals in three straight years from 2008-10, which were Maritime's last postseason home contests prior to the current stretch.
