THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – An early deficit spelled doom for the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team (4-11, 3-5 Skyline), as it fell to Maritime College (5-9, 2-4 Skyline), 81-67, in Skyline Conference competition Tuesday evening at Riesenberg Hall Gym.
The Knights fell behind by 10 points by the 12:41 mark in the first half, as they trailed, 15-5. Maritime was able to improve its lead to 19 points with 4:42 remaining in the opening frame, seemingly putting the game out of reach early on. The Privateers held a 44-28 lead heading into the break.
The Knights could not miss coming out of the half, opening the second period on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to just five points. The Knights trailed 47-42 before Maritime went on an 8-0 run to go back up by 13 points and regain full momentum of the game. The lead climbed to as many as 17 points, and the Knights were unable to get back within single digits throughout the remainder of the game.
John Liccese made five threes en route to a 28-point performance for the Privateers. Sean Corley recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Isaiah Hayes picked up a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.
Sophomore guard
Connor Nicholson (Staten Island, N.Y.) paced the Knights with 16 points on the evening. Junior forward
Jason Oder (Levittown, N.Y.) and freshman guard
Tyler McDine (Suffern, N.Y.) matched with 15 points. McDine helped his cause by making 9-of-11 free throws. Sophomore forward
Alex Smith led the Knights with 10 rebounds despite playing just 17 minutes before fouling out of the game.
Maritime shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the field, while the Knights made 22-of-58 (37.9 percent). The Privateers held a 45-33 edge in rebounds, and got a 30-point boost from their bench.
The Knights will look to get back on track on Saturday, Jan. 24, when they host St. Joseph's College (L.I.) in Skyline action at the Kaplan Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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