PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Maritime basketball team opened up Skyline Conference competition on Thursday evening against the Purchase Panthers and fell by the score of 97-89.
 
 Junior Isaiah Hayes (Jamaica, N.Y./Queens Teaching)led Maritime with 21 points and also had nine rebounds and two assists. Senior Tim Hoch (Coventry, R.I./Fishers Island (N.Y.)) had a career-high 20 points and had a game-high four assists, while also recording the team's lone block of the night.
 
Junior John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) had a game-high four steals and also added 19 points along with three assists and four rebounds, while classmate Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) had a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with 12 points.
 
Senior Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) had 10 points and had three assists, while junior Akil Spruill (Queens, N.Y./Holy Cross) added four points. Junior Tim McQuail (Middle Village, N.Y./Cathedral Prep) rounded out the scoring with three points on the game.
 
The game remained scoreless through the opening minute before Purchase took a two-point lead. Hayes responded on the next possession to even the game but the Panthers answered back with a 12-2 run to open up a 14-4 lead with 13:33 to go in the opening stanza.
 
Hayes converted on a layup, followed by a three-pointer from Halligan to pull Maritime back within five before Purchase regained a double-digit lead with 9:56 to go in the half. Hayes and Spruill answered with back-to-back buckets but Purchase countered with seven points to take a 31-15 lead.
 
An 8-2 run by the Privateers sliced the lead back down to 10, but Purchase continued to hold its lead into the closing minutes of the half and led by a 43-30 score at the halftime break.
 
In the second half, Hayes got the scoring started with a layup. After a Panther free throw, Liccese knocked down a layup off a pass from Hoch to pull the Privateers back within 10 points.
 
Purchase continued to hold its sizable lead through the next stages of the period, and eventually led by a 75-54 margin.
 
Hoch turned his game up to a higher level in the final 8:15, as he knocked down a three-pointer to spur the Privateers on. Hoch dropped another long-range shot, then converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to help trim the Panther lead down to 78-63.
 
MacDonald hit a layup, followed by two from the stripe for the Panthers to keep it a 15-point game. Hoch continued his torrid pace with another three-ball, and then took advantage of a Liccese steal with another layup.
 
After a Purchase jumper, MacDonald and Liccese converted on shots to get the lead back down to eight with 4:08 to go in the game. Purchase scored the next four before Liccese knocked down a three-point shot. Maritime was called for a foul which saw the Panthers convert on one of the two free throw shots before Liccese sank another layup to make it an 87-79 score.
 
Maritime got it down to a six-point game after Hayes converted on a layup and the ensuing free throw with 1:06 to go in the game. Hoch sank another key shot for the Privateers with a layup to trim the lead down to four at 90-86. There was not enough time for the Privateers as Purchase converted on their free throws, around a McQuail three-pointer to hold on for the 97-89 win.
 
Maritime (3-3, 0-1 Skyline) will return to Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium on Saturday, when the Privateers play host to the Merchant Marine Mariners for a 1 p.m. start.
 
Purchase (5-1, 1-0 Skyline) will be home again on Saturday, when the Panthers play host to the Mount St. Mary Knights at 12 p.m.