ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (Nov. 30, 2010) – The Maritime men's basketball team pulled out another victory from the jaws of defeat when the squad opened Skyline Conference play with a 66-65 win at Bard on Tuesday night. The victory improves the Privateers' record to 3-1 overall on the season (1-0 Skyline), while the Raptors fall to 0-5 (0-2 Skyline).
Junior guard Mike McSloy (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) buried the game winning jumper with six seconds to play to give Maritime its first lead since 18:31 of the second half. On the ensuing Bard possession, junior Yonah Greenstein's attempt to win the game rung off the front rim, securing the Privateer victory.
Maritime was led by junior Sam Porte (Harlem, N.Y./H.S. for Math, Science & Engineering), who scored a team-high 16 points off the bench and brought down eight boards. McSloy registered 15 points for the Privateers, while senior Giovanni Hurley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Middle College High) tallied 13 and recorded a team-high nine rebounds. Maritime shot just 34.4-percent from the field but was stepped up significantly at the free-throw line (18-for-21 85.7-percent).
The Privateers grabbed a lead early when senior Quamel Lyerly (Inwood, N.Y./Lawrence) hit a jumper with 15:44 to play in the first to make the score 9-8. Maritime expanded on that lead and eventually got it up to 10 points, 21-11, after a layup by Hurley at 10:35, forcing the Raptors to call timeout. Bard fought back, however, and brought the lead down to just one point, 35-34, a score the teams went into the locker rooms with.
In the second half, the Raptors captured the lead, 37-36, at 18:04 on a layup by senior Christian Marghella. Bard went on a 19-8 run and had the largest lead of the night – 12 points (56-44) – when senior Matt Shubert drained a three-pointer with 9:15 to play. Maritime answered with an 11-3 run and came back within four points, 59-55, after two free throws by Porte with 4:46 remaining.
Bard extended its lead back up to six points, 64-58, with just 2:32 left in the game, but Maritime would score the next six points and a jumper by Lyerly tied the score at 64-64 with 1:07 to play. The Raptors took a one-point lead with 13 seconds left after Marghella made the first end of a one-and-one, but he missed the second and Lyerly grabbed the rebound and Maritime got possession with a chance to get the lead. McSloy hit a five-foot jumper to win the game.
The Raptors were led by Marghella, who recorded a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Maritime returns to action this Thursday, Dec. 2, when the team travels to Brooklyn, N.Y., to take on Skyline-foe NYU-Poly. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.