KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The Maritime Basketball team fell in non-conference play as the Privateers dropped the matchup on the road to the Merchant Marine Mariners by the score of 70-60 from O'Hara Hall on Friday evening.
 
Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) led the Privateers with a season-best 20 points on the evening. Sophomore John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) was second on the team in scoring with 16 points to go along with a team-best four rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
 
Sophomore Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) also chipped in with three rebounds as he added 13 points in defeat. Off the bench, freshman Pat Conway (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) collected 10 points and also added a pair of rebounds. MacDonald and junior Liam Ryan (Buffalo, N.Y./Nichols) were both second on the team with three assists apiece.
 
Maritime got off to a quick start in a swift-moving first half as Liccese dropped back for a three-pointer off a pass from MacDonald. Merchant Marine added the next 10 points before Liccese ended the run with a jumper.
 
The Mariners took an eight-point lead at 15-7 before Halligan answered with a jumper, followed by MacDonald sinking a basket to pull Maritime back within four. After a Merchant Marine basket, Halligan dropped back for a three-point basket and Liccese hit a layup and the ensuing and-one free throw to tie the contest at 17.
 
The two teams exchanged the lead on the next four possessions, before Maritime held on to a slim lead through the next five minutes of play. Merchant Marine tied the contest at 30 with 30 seconds left in the half to send the two sides to the locker room all even through the first 20 minutes of play.
 
Merchant Marine came out of the locker room hot as the Mariners outscored the Privateers by a 14-5 difference through the first 5:38 of the period. Conway stepped back for a three-point basket to end the drought and once again pull the Privateers within six at 44-38.
 
Maritime fell behind by nine at 50-41 but stormed back with three unanswered possessions as MacDonald drained a pair of baskets and sank a free throw from the stripe while Halligan drained a three-point basket to decrease the deficit to one at 50-49.
 
The Privateers were able to hold the game close and were trailing by just a two-point basket at 62-60 with 50 seconds left in the game as freshman Michael Walker (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) made one shot at the line. On the next possession, Merchant Marine put the game out of reach with a three-point basket to take a five-point advantage and later added five more field goals for the 70-60 victory.
 
As a team, Maritime had a better shooting percentage than their host in both overall and three-point baskets but the Mariners sank 21-of-25 from the line, while Maritime only shot 10-of-20 from the charity stripe. Both teams were relatively close in many other statistical categories including assists, fouls, turnovers and steals.
 
Maritime (0-2) will return to action for day two of the 2015 Admiral's Classic when the team hosts the Maine Maritime Mariners for a 3 p.m. start inside Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium on the Maritime College campus.
 
Merchant Marine (1-1) will also host Maine Maritime in its next matchup when the two schools square off on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in the third and final game of the Admiral's Classic.