PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Maritime men's basketball team fell to the Purchase Panthers on Thursday evening by the score of 67-49 in Skyline Conference action.
 
Maritime was led by sophomore Isaiah Hayes (Jamaica, N.Y./Queens Teaching), who collected his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) also finished in double-figures as he collected 11 points on three three-pointers and a jumper in the game.
 
The game started off as a low-scoring affair as the Panthers took a 6-1 lead with four minutes gone by in the opening half. Senior T'Vaughn Gibson (Freeport, Bahamas/Sunland Baptist Academy) collected Maritime's first field goal of the night with a layup to trim the early deficit in half.
 
Halligan got going with back-to-back shots as he sank a jumper, followed by a three-pointer to make the score 12-10 with 9:34 left in the opening half. The Panthers closed out the period on a 17-4 run to take a 29-14 lead into the halftime break.
 
In the second half, Purchase started out with a three-pointer, which was answered by Halligan after stepping back for a three of his own. Hayes also had a responsive shot after Purchase collected a basket as the Panthers held a 15-point advantage with 17 minutes left in regulation.
 
After a low-scoring first 24 minutes of the game, the action picked up as the team went up-and-down the court with several baskets. Maritime received points from Hayes, freshman Patrick MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius) and senior Sean Corley (Harlem, N.Y./Thurgood Marshall Academy). On the night, Corley finished with the team lead in both assists and steals with four each.
 
Freshman John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) got in on the scoring action as he collected a three-pointer with 11:50 to go in the period to trim the Purchase lead to 43-31 as the Privateers continued to claw their way back into the game. After a missed shot by Purchase, Hayes threw down a dunk, but was then called for his fourth personal foul on the next defensive possession.
 
The Panthers then went on a 16-7 run to take its largest lead of the contest at 61-38. Freshman Kevin Blessington (Lynbrook, N.Y./East Rockaway) helped put an end to the rally with a layup, followed once again by Hayes draining a layup to make the score 61-42.
 
With time working against the Privateers, and the team trailing, Maritime ended the contest with a 5-2 spur. Liccese connected on a pair from the line, sophomore Darien Bryan (Jamaica, N.Y./Queens Teaching) sank a free throw, followed by sophomore Wesley Welle (Goshen, N.Y./Goshen) hiting a last-second layup to finish off the scoring with Purchase winning 67-49.
 
Maritime (3-9, 1-4 Skyline) will resume league play on Saturday afternoon as the team travels to take on Sarah Lawrence for a 1 p.m. tip in Bronxville, N.Y. Purchase (3-10, 3-3 Skyline) will also take to the road as the Panthers will travel to Farmingdale for a Saturday afternoon contest against the Rams at 3 p.m.