THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime men's basketball team got 21 points from freshman John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman), but it wasn't enough as the Privateers fell to the Sage Gators by the score of 75-58 at the Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
 
In addition to the 21 points from Liccese, the Privateers also got 13 points from rookie Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius), and nine points from senior T'Vaughn Gibson (Freeport, Bahamas/Sunland Baptist Academy). Leading the way on the glass was senior Sean Corley (Harlem, N.Y./Thurgood Marshall Academy) with seven rebounds, while MacDonald and sophomore Bobby Parlow (Bay Head, N.J./Point Pleasant Beach) each had six boards on the afternoon.
 
Sophomore Isaiah Hayes (Jamaica, N.Y./Queens Teaching) led the team with four steals and also had the team-high with a pair of blocks. As a team, Maritime shot 31.8% from the floor, while knocking down 7-of-30 from beyond the arc including three from Liccese. At the line, the Privateers were 9-of-13.
 
Gibson got the scoring going for the Privateers with a three-point basket just 17 seconds into the contest. About two minutes later, the Gators took a one-point lead at 4-3 and did not surrender the lead through the remainder of the opening stanza.
 
The first-half lead ballooned to as many as 22 with less than five to go in the period, but Maritime chipped away with a layup from MacDonald and a dunk from Gibson to trim the deficit to 18 heading into the halftime break.
 
In the second half, Maritime played a better half overall as the team was outscored by just one point (41-40) in the half, MacDonald got a solid run for the Privateers going with a free throw, followed by two more from the stripe by Corley and a three-point basket by sophomore Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham). Sage responded with back-to-back three-pointers to take a 23-point lead.
 
With 13:40 left in regulation, the light turned on for the Privateer offense as Liccese knocked down a jumper, then broke down the floor for a fast break layup off of a steal from Hayes. Liccese then dropped a pair at the stripe, for a Privateer 6-0 run. After a layup by Sage, Liccese stepped back for a three-pointer and knocked it down off a pass from Corley to trim the lead to 14.
 
Maritime was able to pull within a dozen points after a Liccese three-pointer and a jumper from MacDonald to make the score 67-55 with four minutes to go. Sage closed out the period on an 8-3 run, to cap off the scoring at 75-58.
 
For the game, Sage shot 46.7% from the field, and was also 44.4% from beyond the arc. Kai Deans led the team with 15 points, while Jorrdan McCray added 14 and both Andre Robinson and Travis Gill each had 13. Deans and Robinson led with eight rebounds each, while Robinson added five steals, and Deans led the team with a pair of blocks.

Maritime (3-7, 1-3 Skyline) will wrap-up non-conference play on Monday afternoon when the Privateers take a trip up to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for a battle with the Vassar Brewers. Sage (7-3, 3-2 Skyline) will return home to Kahl Gym for a Skyline contest on Monday when the team plays host to the Old Westbury Panthers for an 8 p.m. start.