THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – The Maritime men's basketball team was knocked off in Skyline Conference action by the Farmingdale Rams by the score of 62-53 on Saturday afternoon at the Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium.
 
Freshman John Liccese (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) led the team in points with 20, while sophomore Isaiah Hayes (Jamaica, N.Y./Queens Teaching) recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and also finished the game with three blocks. Senior guard Sean Corley (Harlem, N.Y./Thurgood Marshall Academy)registered nine points to go along with seven rebounds, and also tied a career-high with eight steals.
 
Farmingdale got the game started with four straight points before Corley put down Maritime's first point with a free throw just over two minutes into the game. The Rams added four more unanswered points to take an seven-point advantage but the Privateers were able to dig back into the early deficit with a three-pointer from sophomore Brendon Halligan (Durham, N.Y./Cairo-Durham) and a layup from Hayes to make the score 12-7.
 
The Rams were able to balloon their lead up to 10 on several occasions, but in the waning minutes Maritime closed the gap. In the last 5:14 of the half, Liccese stepped back for two-straight three-point shots and was able to send the Privateers into the locker room by just a two-point deficit at 26-24.
 
Liccese started the second half with a hot hand as he knocked down a jumper to even the game with 1:15 gone by in the second stanza. Farmingdale regained a two-point edge, but Halligan responded with a jumper to even the score at 28. After a defensive rebound by Hayes, the sophomore was able to collect a jumper on the next series to put the Privateers ahead for the first time in the game at 30-28.
 
With 15:23 left in the half, the Rams took a one-point lead and did not relinquish the advantage for the rest of regulation. Farmingdale took its largest lead of the game at 48-33 with 10:47 to go, but Maritime once again tried to fight back into the game.
 
Maritime got the deficit within single-digits as Hayes knocked down a layup and hit the ensuing free-throw. Several possessions later, Hayes once again sank a jumper to pull the Privateers within six at 48-42. After a jumper by Farmingdale, the Privateers got another old fashioned three-point play as Liccese connected on a layup and free throw to make the score 50-45.
 
At one point, Maritime trimmed the lead to three points but it was too late in the game, as Farmingdale scored the final four points of the contest to come away with the 62-53 victory.
 
For the game a big difference proved to be points in the paint as the Rams collected 40, to the 18 points scored by the Privateers. Rebounding was also a key difference as the Rams had an advantage of 56-40 by the end of the game.
 
Maritime (5-13, 3-8 Skyline) will resume league play on Tuesday evening when the team plays host to the Mount St. Vincent Dolphins for a 7 p.m. start at the Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium. Farmingdale (5-13, 3-8 Skyline) will return home on Monday evening as they will play host to Yeshiva for an 8 p.m. start against the Maccabees.